Today is the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. For my generation, it has become the 'where were you?' moment we all remember. I will never forget that day, watching as the news unfolded and witnessing the tragedy as the towers collapsed.
Since then, much has been made of the planned memorial, the fundraising, construction and even the invitation list for the dedication. Everyone has an opinion. I can remember when the Viet Nam Memorial was being planned for Washington, DC. So much fuss. So many people objecting to the black basalt wall inscribed with names. It was ugly and too modern and not suitable. But then it was unveiled. And the families and friends started coming. And photographs surfaced of veterans laying their hands on the names of their friends, sons and daughters rubbing an impression of their father's name. And hearts broke across this nation. Because a memorial has architectural structure, but its not the building or edifice that anchors the memories. It's the people. Now, no one cares about the controversy that the design caused, they just come. They remember.
Today, a memorial is being unveiled in New York City's Battery Park neighborhood. I don't know all the details. I remember some of the plans that were suggested. Some of the people involved wanted to build edifices on the site that were bigger and higher than the originals. They wanted to thumb their noses in the faces of the terrorists. Prove that we would rebuild, be better, higher or more opulent than before. What I've seen of the memorial is more park like. It includes two of the largest man made waterfalls ever constructed. They outline the footprint of the original two trade center towers. It appears to be a beautiful, peaceful place.
A memorial, a monument is just an anchor for the feelings, emotions and memories of the people who experienced an event. Nothing ever suitably replaces what was lost. No man made sculpture or building will ever make up for lives lost, families impacted or the long term effects of trauma. During that day, and months and years afterwards, people in New York City, Washington DC, and rural Pennsylvania faced the horror of terrorism and no one in our whole nation has ever been the same since.
We all experienced it. We might not have been there working like the EMTs, police and firefighters. We might not have been first responders or rescue aid workers. But we all watched, waited and prayed.
When I look back ten years ago, I feel the angst. My eyes well up with tears and I realize that we all lost a little innocence that day. We thought it couldn't happen here. But we were wrong. It can, and does, happen everywhere.
Monuments mark the spot. But it's the people like us who keep the memories. When you think about it, it's a fitting memorial. Talk to the younger generation, tell your stories. Explain your feelings. Make a trip to the 9/11 memorial and honor the fallen. The fight has been brought to us and it's up to all of us to remember.
--Sandee Wagner
1 comment:
Well said. Thanks.
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