Sunday, September 11, 2011

We Pause to Remember 9-11, 10 Years Later...

Just like millions of fellow Americans across the the country and around the world today, I'd like to take time out to remember the victims and the families of the horrific terrorist attacks on our country 10 years ago today.  Our thoughts and prayers of continued healing are with them, including those of the first responders who selflessly went into harms way knowing full well that they may not make it back out.


NASA Satellite Image of the Twin Towers Burning on 9-11-01

My wife and I had the pleasure of visiting New York City a few months ago (it was the first visit for both of us).  The following are personal photos that we took at the World Trade Center (WTC) Memorial site which was under construction at the time.



I think we were both amazed by the "feel" around the WTC site itself.  Sure, it was a construction site, with preparation of both the Memorial Site and Museum and the new buildings underway, but it didn't feel like any other construction site I've ever been around.  You could tell that the construction workers were well aware that they were working on hallowed ground.  I think that was the quietest construction site I've ever been around.  No yelling and screaming across the site like you'd normally hear, even the equipment seemed to move at a quieter pace (but yet the work was steadily progressing).

Near the site there was a temporary memorial that had been set-up, consisting of some of the steel beams from the original towers, along with a plaque constructed by a blow torch:



Several other buildings near the site had also constructed their own memorials, mainly to those who lost their lives working for that particular company.  One such memorial was inside the lobby of the American Express Financial Center:



While we didn't personally know any of these folks, it was a very touching experience indeed.  By the time you walked around the memorial and took everything in, you almost felt like you did know them...

We would like to return to New York and visit the completed WTC Memorial one day.  No doubt hundreds of thousands of fellow Americans will do the same over the coming years.  I believe this is one of the best signs of support that  we could offer, and would show the families that we will never forget, and the terrorists that they didn't win...

If you'd like more information about the World Trade Center Memorial and Museum, you can visit their website here.

Similar memorials and vigils are underway at the heroic Pennsylvania crash site and at the Pentagon today.  Our thoughts and prayers of comfort and healing are with those families as well.

**Update 1pm CDT:  I thought this intro to today's NFL on Fox was a unique tribute to the heroes and the healing...

<a href='http://foxsports.com?vid=3aa4f907-df08-458c-a321-e41264c4b381&mkt=en-us&src=FLPl:embed::uuids' target='_new' title='NFL on FOX: Journey for our Heroes' >Video: NFL on FOX: Journey for our Heroes</a>

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