Kirsten Gillibrand

Like all Americans, I will never forget where I was the morning of the 9/11 attacks.

As we all know, there is no harder or more rewarding job than being a mom.

When we create hope and opportunity in the lives of others, we allow love, decency and promise to triumph over cowardice and hate.

Recently, I was in Bernalda, my dad's ancestral home town in Italy. He has just refurbished a palazzo and turned it into a hotel, so we had my sister's wedding there. It was beautiful.

In my 20 years as a photographer, covering conflicts from Bosnia to Gaza to Iraq to Afghanistan, injured civilians and soldiers have passed through my life many times.

I studied international relations and economics at the University of Virginia. I paid my way by working as a bartender in the summer and at three part-time jobs during the year.