A Piece of 9/11

Did you know that the larger pieces of the charred iron from the remains of the World Trade Center from 9/11 have been saved, cataloged and stored at Hangar 17 at John F. Kennedy International Airport? They are owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Seven tons of the metal was melted down and used to build a ship, the USS New York, commissioned for the Navy.

The last standing column and a FDNY Engine 3 fire truck will be on display at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York. (source)

Do you remember the little girl, Christina-Taylor Green who was killed when there was an assassination attempt on Senator Gabrielle Giffords in Tuscon, Arizona?

She was born on 9/11, and died at another tragedy. Iron from the Towers was used to make a memorial for her.

Most of the rest of the 12,000 charred pieces were shipped to towns all over the United States and to 5 other countries in time for the 10th anniversary of the tragedy of 9/11.

A United States Flag is placed over the remnants of iron, before being driven back to a fire station in Ohio.

Towns set up special memorials dedicated to 9/11 and to showcase the charred and/or gnarled pieces of iron as a reminder of that horrid day - lest we forget.

I'm not sure how the towns were selected to receive a piece of the towers. I am wondering if all the fire departments that traveled to New York and volunteered were first contacted to see if their towns were interested in receiving a piece of the tower. Then it was open to anyone (within reason). There was an application process.

The town where we used to live received a piece of the towers. There was a dedication ceremony in September (I didn't hear about this until a couple of weeks ago).

Here is their piece:

It is a 15-foot section from the tower.

Here is another view.

I cannot imagine what it would be like to see the actual 9/11 memorial, as touching this one was so humbling to me.

This is the plaque in front of the memorial:

This site was also a memorial to two firemen who had lost their lives in the line of duty, one in 1967, the other in 1976.

People were able to purchase the bricks for engraving in memory of loved ones. I was very moved to see this one:

Jan was one of my best friends who had passed away three years ago. Her son bought a brick in her name because they used to go down to the river and feed the ducks.

The memorial is so new that they hadn't even finished the seating around the memorial (as you can see in the above photo). Below is a close up of the fireman's hat.

In the background is the Fox River. This is in downtown Algonquin. The riverfront has really been fixed up.

Benches line the river so one can watch the boats and ducks go by!

These photos were taken a mere three weeks ago when the trees were still green and the weather was still warm. Now many of the trees have turned colors, and some have lost the majority of their leaves! It's been getting unusually cold at night - dipped down to 32 degrees last night!