Saturday, September 10, 2011

9/11 Remembering the Past & Looking Towards the Future - UPDATE! New graphic by Azure Ghost

Guest Post by Dusty

September 11, 2001 will be a day that will always be remembered. Long after all of us who are old enough to remember where we were, what we were doing at that awful moment in time when we heard that two planes had flown into the sides of the World Trade Center are gone.

To this day my mom can tell you exactly what she was doing when she heard the news that John F Kennedy had been shot.

The world changed, depending on your opinion, for better or for worse on September 11, 2001 but one thing we can all agree on, it will never be the same ever again. 2,823 people lost their lives that day in New York at the World Trade Center. 1,720 victims were never identified. 189 people lost their lives in Washington DC at the Pentagon Attack and 44 people died over Shanksville, Pa. aboard Flight 93 that day.

Over 3,000 innocent people left their homes that morning to go to work, go shopping, hop on a plane did not know that they would not be coming back home that day all because some radical belief that we to this day still cannot understand.

To this day I want to ask any one person involved in the attacks “How can you justify in your mind the taking of innocent lives to advance your cause?” That question will never be answered but I still would like to ask it.

Since 2001 we watched the United States go to war in Afghanistan on October 7, 2001 and then a war with Iraq on March 20, 2003. We have lost over 6,000 service members in just those 2 wars per USA Today. We have weathered many natural disasters since 2001 and we have been through 2 National Elections. But there is one thing that will never change in America.

No one, not one person or radical terrorist group will ever take away the one thing that makes America great and that is our ability to rebuild that which was once destroyed. We will mourn those who were taken from us and we will build a beautiful memorial to remember them forever. We may fight among ourselves but damn it when it really matters you can always count on Americans to stand strong and to stand united as one.

It has been 10 years since 9/11 and construction is still going on in New York. The rebuilding for the Pentagon has long been completed and finally the first phase of the memorial in Pennsylvania is ready to be dedicated this weekend in honor of those on Flight 93.

The Discovery Channel has been airing a documentary created by executive producer Steven Spielberg called, 9/11 Tribute of Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero. This is a fantastic show that is commercial-free and it details the rebuilding of the World Trade Center. The show is heart wrenching at times but the spirit of America is still shining. Link for the Discovery Channel is

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/the-rising/

The Project Superintendent of the Transit Hub is Brian Lyons. His brother Mike was one of the 343 NYFD firefighters who died that day at the World Trade Center. He watched the towers fall that day and spent 9 months assisting with the recovery.



The Ground Zero Transit Hub went over budget many times and has been redesigned in an effort to save money. But the end result will be a very beautiful hub that has one very special feature. The building what shifted from its original position to a slightly different position that will allow the sunlight every 9/11 at exactly 8:46 a.m. and 10:28 a.m. to splash thru the skylight on the roof of the transit hub down into the station’s walkway. Another interesting fact about the building site there is a gap between the two tallest towers that will allow a shaft of sunlight to stream thru at 8:46 a.m. every 9/11 and light up the footprint of Tower 1.

So on this day the 10th anniversary of the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks please take a moment to remember those who are gone and those who survived the attacks. Remember the first responders and all those who offered assistance in the days that followed. Remember all our service men and woman who have died since 2001 and those who are still fighting overseas today.

Take a moment every day to hug a loved one or say hi to a neighbor or co-worker because you just never know if that is the last time you will ever see them. Today is a day to remember but it is also a day to look towards the future because to only remember but not look forward does not honor the memory of those who have gone on before us.

Thank you to HopeForAmerica for posting this great link and this great comment

“In memory of firefighters of 9/11...and a big thanks to all people of service who put their life on the line every day to protect and serve others”



“The story behind this painting is that a dad has just gotten on to fdny and it was his first day he got his first fire and it turned out to be at his wife’s friend’s house and his wife and daughter were there and he realized his daughter was still in the building went in and got her and the roof started collapsing when he got down to the second floor so he jumped out the window and saved his very own daughters life......truly a hero”

NYCGirl's comment from 9/11/10 is still relevant today:

I'm not a human being looking for a spiritual experience, I'm a spiritual being looking for a human experience.

Thank you, Politicalgates for giving all of us here a great place to discuss, talk and snark about a variety of topics each day.

+++

UPDATE:

Our reader Azure Ghost again was so kind to send us one of her fabulous graphics! This time about a rather unusual topic: Sarah Palin and 9/11. I think Azure Ghost really struck a nerve there!

Azure Ghost - 9-11 - SoVain

No comments:

Post a Comment