I can’t believe it’s been ten years since the tragic events of 9/11.
In 1990, I visited the Twin Towers on my first of many trips to New York City.
(Back in the “good ‘ol days of film”…hence, the poor quality of these scans.)
I remember arriving at the towers and looking up into what felt like eternity. (1990 photo)
At times, it seems like yesterday I was standing on top of the observation deck of the South Tower (2 World Trade Center). That was actually 1990. I vividly remember the excitement (and a little fear) as we traveled first to the 107th floor to view NYC from the indoor observatory then to the 110th floor outdoor viewing platform. (1990 photos)
On this first trip to NYC, we also went out to Liberty Island where I was able to capture the NYC skyline with the Twin Towers. What an amazing skyline with the Towers high above the rest. (1990 photo)
After the events of 9/11, I told Mom that I wanted to go back to NYC to see the devastation for myself. I simply could not believe it unless I saw it. I hadn’t been to New York since that first trip in 1990, so in July 2002 Mom and I made the first of our annual mother-daughter trips. Our first journey? New York City.
Of course, our main mission was to go see Ground Zero. The clean-up of the site had just finished that May (2002) so when we visited it really just looked like a construction area. However, it was not hard to understand and feel heavy-hearted for the tragedy that had occurred that September day.
I remembered hearing about the World Trade Center cross. On September 13, 2001, beams that resembled a cross had been found by a relief worker. The cross was soon erected at the site. When I saw this for myself, I cried…but I also knew God was in control and He would help us all through this tragedy. (2002 photos)
With patriotism at an all-time high, US flags were seen all over the city…especially donning the buildings around Ground Zero. We made our visit during July 4th week and I’ll never forget the atmosphere within the city of pride in America. Everyone joined together. It wasn’t unusual to speak to strangers. It was an honor to talk with and thank a NYC police officer or firefighter as tears welled up in your eyes. (2002 photo)
“A Firefighter’s Prayer” statue was actually created before 9/11. The statue was commissioned in Oct. 2000 for the Firefighter Memorial Foundation of Missouri. It arrived at Kennedy Airport in New York, en route from Italy, on Sept. 9, 2001. Immediately after the tragedy of September 11, the Missouri firefighters and the statue’s manufacturerer donated the statue to New York. For months, it was parked on a flatbed truck outside the Milford Plaza Hotel. A permanent granite slab was funded and the statue now commemorates the 343 firefighters who died on Sept. 11, 2011. (2002 photo)
This chain cross was found by a fireman in the rubble during the recovery efforts. (2002 photo)
For three decades, “The Sphere” stood in the plaza of the World Trade Center. After recovering the sculpture from the rubble, it was re-erected in Battery Park in March 2002. (2002 photo)
During the recovery efforts, the fence at St. Paul’s Chapel across from Ground Zero became a memorial shrine. (2002 photo)
St. Paul’s Chapel was where 9/11 recovery workers received round-the-clock care. (2009 photo)
The inside of St. Paul’s houses an unofficial 9/11 memorial exhibit. “Healing Hearts and Minds”, an exhibit inside the chapel, consists of a policeman’s uniform covered with police and firefighter patches sent from all over the world. (2009 photos)
As we commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11, most of us likely remember several things about that September day: where we were, how we heard, who we were with, the feelings of uncertainty and much more.
Take time to say a prayer for the victims of this tragic event and for our fallen heroes who put their lives on the line for the gift of freedom we tend to take for granted each day. We will never forget.
As I See It 