The Best of America – Captured in Print for the First Time

Three weeks after the 9/11 attacks, when the world was afraid to get on a plane much less fly to New York City, 1,000 courageous Oregonians took 62 flights to show the world not to live in fear and to boost the tanking New York economy. What they found were fellow Americans who needed more than their money, they needed their hearts. It was called the Flight for Freedom.

Oregon Loves New York: A Story of American Unity After 9/11 recounts this inspiring effort. It was America at its best, people who came together from a divided state that mirrored our nation — across politics, religion, race and the urban-rural divide — for fellow Americans 3,000 miles away. The Flight for Freedom shows what can be achieved when Americans come together to care for one another, placing their humanity at the forefront.

The award-winning Oregon Loves New York can be found in the Library of Congress and the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Author Sally Ruth Bourrie covered the Flight for Freedom for the Chicago Tribune and The Boston Globe.

The symbolic commitment to be a part of the recovery of New York from these horrible attacks meant a great deal to all New Yorkers and sent a very positive message to the entire nation. The Flight for Freedom demonstrated that people from 3,000 miles across the continent felt comfortable and safe in the streets, and that message got out in the rest of the country. – Former New York Governor George Pataki.

They were a cross-section of America: bartenders, teachers, garlic farmers. Led by Portland Mayor Vera Katz, Freedom Fliers — one in every 3,000 Oregonians — took 62 flights and through 12 airports, providing employment for people who would not have had work on those days.

In just three days in New York, they held a memorial service at Union Square, went into Ground Zero, spoke at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine’s Blessing of the Animals and hosted dinner for 700 in hard-hit Chinatown. Despite rising security threats on their last day, they appeared on Good Morning America and Regis and Kelly, opened the New York Stock Exchange and marched in the Columbus Day Parade, deluged with love from grateful New Yorkers.

Easy to spot in T-shirts and buttons with two Douglas firs and “Oregon ♥ New York,” Freedom Fliers were routinely stopped, hugged and thanked by traumatized survivors whose New York City was papered in “Missing” flyers and downtown covered in soot. The Oregonians embraced the New Yorkers at every level; they listened to their 9/11 stories and were always present for them.

Something powerful happened in New York. We had a rare opportunity to experience the healing power of human-to-human contact and to honor our highest nature. – Jan Woodruff, Portland State University Director of Marketing and Freedom Flier

“The Flight for Freedom” will be an uplifting documentary film.

An angel who believes in the power of “The Flight for Freedom” to make a real difference has given $50,000 to help bring this documentary to the world. Author Sally Ruth Bourrie is now seeking a producing partner and additional funders who share that vision, who can help bring this inspiring story to film and celebrate humanity at its best.

Now is the moment: 2026 will be the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

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