This week marks the twentieth anniversary of 911, one of the deadliest attacks in modern time. Initially, 2751 people lost their lives, and more than 6,000 people were injured. In 2010 the number of victims had risen to 2,996 for the first responders who had died from exposure. In 2013 another count announced that 1,140 people in the Manhattan area had also died from exposure-causing illnesses. Today more than 10,000 first responders, volunteers, and those who lived and worked near or around the ground zero site now have cancer. Memorials will be held across the country Saturday to honor these victims. New York’s 911 Memorial and Museum urges churches throughout the United States to join them by ringing their bells at 8:46 a.m. Eastern time Saturday, marking when flight 11 hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
The 911 Memorial and Museum in New York City will be holding a memorial open only to the victims and survivors Saturday morning. There will be six moments of silence for each of the attacks. In addition to the ceremony, New York will be shining the Tribute of Lights starting at sundown. The 911 Memorial in New York consists of twin pools with the largest manmade waterfall in North American. The waterfalls disappear into a hole at the center of each collection depicting the “absence made visible.” Surrounding the pools are the names of all the victims of 911, in addition to the victims of the 1993 attack. Other displays at the 911 Memorial are the Survivor Tree as well as the 911 Glade. The 911 Glade consists of four hundred white oak trees throughout the complex to honor those survivors who have become ill since the attack. The Survivor Tree is a lone pear tree that a recovery worker discovered during the clean-up process at Ground Zero. The 911 Memorial and Museum sits where the World Trade Center once did. The memorial and museum are open Thursday thru Monday from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. They also host an online learning site for students and visitors at 911memorial.org
Another site holding a memorial Saturday is the Flight 93 National Memorial in Storytown, Pennsylvania. This memorial is a national park that consists of a visitor center, the Bells of Remembrance, and a monument known as the Tower of Voices. Both the visitor center and the memorial are on the direct path flight 93 was flying that day when it crashed. Park rangers give daily tours to students and guests. The Tower of Voices is a 93 ft musical instrument consisting of 40 windchimes that create music endlessly in honor of the victims of Flight 93 and all the victims of 911. The Park will be broadcasting a live memorial honoring the victims of Flight 93 on their Facebook page starting at 10:03 eastern time, marking the time flight 93 crashed, killing 39 passengers and crew members.
The Pentagon’s 911 Memorial is currently not open to the public due to Covid restrictions. They are located on the grounds of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The memorial pays tribute to the 184 victims who died at the Pentagon on 911 with the “Memorial Unit” benches, the Age Wall, and 85 paperbark maple trees. Each of the benches is lit with an individual reflecting pool with the name and ages of each victim. The benches are designed in two groups facing two directions. The benches honoring the 64 victims of Flight 77 face the sky towards the point that the plane approached the Pentagon, while the benches representing 184 victims of the Pentagon face the point of impact. The Age Wall represents the ages of each victim, starting at 3 inches increasing to 71 for the oldest. To learn more about this memorial, visit defense.org.
