Words cannot adequately describe the events of Sept. 11, 2001; yet, as a nation we must remember that horrific day and its significance. To that end, memorials-both permanent monuments and special memorial services-have been and continue to be organized across the world, embodying the phrase “never forget.” Below, we highlight just a few of these monuments and services, remembering the 343 firefighters and thousands of other victims to whom they are dedicated.
The Official Memorials
The WTC Memorial: Reflecting Absence
The official World Trade Center Memorial is set to open on Sept. 11, 2009. Called “Reflecting Absence,” the memorial’s two voids reside in the original footprints of the Twin Towers and hold a pool of water filled by waterfalls on all sides. At street level, a forest of more than 200 oak trees will populate the Memorial Plaza.
Adjacent to the two voids, the Memorial Museum will retell the events of the day and profile those who died, those who suffered and those who lent a helping hand. Visitors will be able to touch the bedrock and see the slurry wall.
Designed by architects Michael Arad and Peter Walker, “Reflecting Absence” was selected from more than 5,000 entrants from 63 nations. The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation is overseeing the fundraising and building of the memorial and will operate the buildings after their construction. For more information, visit buildthememorial.org.
The Pentagon: Collective Contemplation
On June 15, work began on an official memorial on the Pentagon, where 184 people were killed during the Sept. 11 attacks. The memorial includes 184 metal benches, one honoring each victim, and dozens of maple trees. The memorial site, located 165 feet from the place where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, measures 2 acres. The benches will sit above reflecting pools of water, and will be organized in a timeline of the victims’ ages, spanning from 3-year-old Dana Falkenberg to 71-year-old John Yamnicky.
The memorial is due to be completed in September 2008.
Flight 93: Commemorating Courage
In Somerset County in southwestern Pennsylvania, an official memorial is planned at the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93. The memorial will commemorate the courage of the 40 passengers and crew of Flight 93 through 40 groves of Red and Sugar Maple trees. In addition, the Tower of Voices, set on a planted mound within rings of White Pine trees and housing 40 wind chimes, will greet visitors at the entrance to the memorial. Design is expected to be completed in 2006; construction will begin in 2008 and a ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for the 10-year anniversary of Sept. 11.
Memorials Around the Country
Bayonne, N.J.
Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli’s 175-ton sculpture sits on the tip of a waterfront park and looks across the Hudson River to the skyline of Manhattan, forever changed with the felling of the Twin Towers. The 100-foot-tall structure depicts two towers between which a gigantic teardrop is suspended, and marks the names of those lost in the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks of 1993 and 2001. Constructed in Russia, the sculpture was shipped to New Jersey to mark the fifth anniversary of the tragedy, in a gesture reminiscent of the French gift of the Statue of Liberty in 1885, which can be seen in the background.
51 Port Terminal Blvd.
Cumming, Ga.
The first thing you see when you enter the new Forsyth County Public Safety Complex is a 15″ x 25″ piece of rusty I-beam from the WTC mounted on a 300-lb. base of polished black Georgia granite. The Forsyth County Fire Department obtained the 125-lb. piece of steel from the FDNY and incorporated it into the design of its public safety building. “It was beginning to rub me the wrong way that 9/11 was a convenient talking point; I needed something you can lay your hands upon,” explains Chief Danny Bowman. “So I wrote a 2-page letter to FDNY, and in my letter I made clear I had no interest in putting the artifact behind glass or a velvet rope. That was one of the reasons FDNY approved, I think.”
3520 Settingdown Road, Cumming, Ga.
Emmitsburg, Md.
The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial on the campus of the National Fire Academy features a section dedicated especially to the FDNY and the firefighters who died on Sept. 11, 2001. Additionally, “a statue of three firefighters raising the flag over Ground Zero is to be installed at the memorial by next spring,” says Executive Director Ron Siarnicki.
16825 S. Seton Ave., Emmitsburg, Md.
Fall River, Mass.
Battleship Cove, the world’s largest collection of historic Navy battleships, will unveil the state’s official Sept. 11 memorial on Oct. 8. The memorial, dedicated to the 93 victims from Massachusetts, was designed by architect Anthony Waring, with help from the families of the victims. The memorial is made of five slabs of granite, on each of which is a bronze plaque bearing the victims’ names. A landscaped sitting space will invite reflection and feature a compass-rose that will point to the WTC, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa.
5 Water St., Fall River, Mass.
Honolulu, Hawaii
One of the first Sept. 11 memorials in the country, Honolulu’s eternal flame burns in front of Honolulu Hale, the official seat of government for the city and county. The 6′ marble obelisk from which the flame is emitted was designed by former city managing director and architect Ben Lee. It is etched vertically to suggest the windows of the WTC; a triangle in the center represents a folded flag and an inscription dedicates the site to those who died, as well as those who worked to save others.
530 S. King St., Honolulu, Hawaii
Mt. Iron, Minn.
The workers at U.S. Steel’s Minntac mine were moved by the events of Sept. 11 to build a memorial and, with the help of co-workers, management and local vendors, completed construction in August 2002. Standing 40 feet tall and more than 14 feet wide at the mine’s entrance, the monument features a concrete base with carved black ash wood that supports a stainless-steel sculpture of the Pentagon, the WTC and the Shanksville, Pa., crash sites. A piece of I-beam from the WTC bears the names of all the volunteers who built the memorial.
County Road 102, Mt. Iron, Minn.
Commemoration Ceremonies
Arlington, Va.
The Arlington County Fire Department responded to the Pentagon on Sept. 11. Five years later, the county came together to remember the lives lost there and honor those who responded to the attack. Hosted by Arlington County Board Chairman Christopher Zimmerman, the program brought together firefighters and police officers and included a combined honor guard, the singing of the National Anthem, a moment of silence at 9:37 a.m. and the tolling of a bell 184 times, once for each victim. The observance took place at the Arlington County Justice Center Courtyard.
A special memorial service also took place at the Pentagon in the Pentagon Auditorium that welcomed people of all faiths and denominations. Visit www.arlingtonva.us/arlingtonremembers for more information.
New York
The official city and state events commemorating Sept. 11 were once again held at the World Trade Center site. This year, spouses, partners and significant others read the victims’ names during the ceremony, while music provided a backdrop throughout the program. As in previous years, family members were able to descend to the lowest level of the site to pay respects and lay flowers.
Shanksville, Penn.
The Families of Flight 93, the National Park Service, the Flight 93 Memorial Task Force and the Flight 93 Advisory Commission came together to host a special commemoration service, “United in Courage, Community and Commitment,” which took place near the memorial on Skyline Road in Shanksville. At 10:03 a.m., names of the 40 heroes of Flight 93 were read, followed by the traditional tolling of the bells of remembrance. For more information on this service and the Flight 93 memorial, visit www.flight93memorialproject.org.
Boston
The Massachusetts 9/11 Fund’s annual commemoration ceremony on Sept. 11 began with the lowering of the flag and a moment of silence on the Massachusetts State House Lawn. The commemoration followed at the Chamber of the House of Representatives. A reception and private family luncheon was held at the Park Plaza Hotel Imperial Ballroom after the formal ceremony.
For more information about the Massachusetts 9/11 Fund, visit www.massfund.org.
Green Bay, Wis.
On Sept. 10, a special service held at the 9/11 Memorial Site in Green Bay paid tribute to the families of the victims of 9/11. Included in the service was a receiving of a piece of Pentagon debris, a U.S. Air Force flyover, a 21-dove release, a community band that played taps and special speakers from the military and from Congress.
San Diego
San Diego paid tribute to America’s fallen heroes on board the USS Midway. The formal ceremony began at 11 a.m. on Sept. 9 aboard the ship’s flight deck and included a presentation of colors, pipes and drums, a reading of the names, tolling of the bells, a military flyover, a 21-gun salute and taps. The ceremony was followed by a luncheon reception hosted by the FDNY at the nearby firehouse museum in downtown San Diego.
Source: Some information in this article was provided by Families of September 11, Inc.
