Santa Fe, N.M. – On Saturday, former United Airlines flight attendant Gino participated in the 102nd Burning of Zozobra, a beloved New Mexico tradition that encourages residents to cast away hardships. Gino, who spent 25 years in the skies and lost 14 friends when the nation was attacked on September 11, 2001, chose to burn his airline uniform as a personal act of healing.
From the cockpit to the flames
Gino was airborne when the attacks unfolded, and the tragedy left an indelible mark on his life. “I lost 14 friends on September 11th. Also, United lost two full crews, American Airlines lost two full crews. And we lost a lot of people,” he recalled. After leaving the airline industry two and a half years ago, the uniform he once wore served as a constant reminder of that day.
A tradition of letting go
A friend introduced Gino to Zozobra, the towering wooden figure known as “Old Man Gloom” that is set ablaze each spring. The event invites participants to bring symbolic items—letters, photographs, or, in Gino’s case, a uniform—to be consumed by fire, representing the release of sorrow and the hope for renewal.
“Maybe I can cut it up into small pieces, but it would mean a lot to me to send it up into the heavens and release it,” Gino said before the ceremony. He arrived with the entire uniform, and event organizers encouraged him to place it inside the effigy.
Words of wisdom and a hopeful farewell
Gino quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson as he prepared for the burn: “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” He added, “Shame on me if I don’t share a story that could help one human being get on with their life.” Minutes before the flames rose, he placed the uniform inside Old Man Gloom and spoke to the gathered crowd, “It’s time to fly, thanks Zozobra, and thank you all from New Mexico. It is time to fly.”
Finding peace
As the fire devoured the fabric, Gino felt the weight of decades lift. “As the flames consumed my uniform, I could finally let go of the pain and memories I had carried for years,” he reflected. While he will always honor the friends he lost, Gino said the ceremony gave him a way to remember them without allowing grief to dominate his future.
The Burning of Zozobra continues to draw participants from across the state, offering a communal space for healing, reflection, and the reaffirmation of hope. Gino’s story underscores how personal loss can be transformed into collective resilience, a message that resonates deeply with Santa Fe’s close‑knit community.
Original reporting: KOAT Albuquerque — read the source article.
