This is the sixth anniversary of the destruction of the World Trade Center.
In previous years, the city held a memorial service at the site of the vanished complex. But now, due to the construction equipment and activity at the original location, the ceremony was moved across the street to tiny Zuccotti Park.
It was a day of firsts: The first time the service wasn’t held at the site of the Twin Towers. The first time the anniversary fell on a Tuesday (the day of the attacks). The first time the sky wasn’t a clear, brilliant blue. The first time grieving family members and survivors didn’t have access to the spots where the buildings had stood.
During the ceremony, while a flute and guitar softly played, first responders who had worked during the rescue and recovery efforts stood in the rain and read the nearly 3,000 victims’ names. They paused only for four moments of silence marking the times the hijacked airplanes hit the buildings and the times the towers fell.
Those in attendance were able to cross the street and descend a long ramp to the bedrock that had supported the foundations of the World Trade Center. There a single, shallow wooden pool had been erected to represent the footprints of the Twin Towers. That was where they left pictures, placed birthday gifts and anniversary cards, and wrote messages for and about those they’d lost.
Once the dignitaries departed, the marksmen left the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, the reporters and photographers went on to the next story and the chairs were folded up and taken away, the day’s on-and-off drizzle turned into a torrent of rain.
Down at the site, deep below ground level, the downpour overflowed the small wooden pool, blurred the penned notes and photos along its rim, and shattered the thousands of roses that floated on its surface.
Note: More photos from the memorial service are posted here.
Invitation
Girl at service with photo in her arms & on her shirt
Tattoo of Uncle Mike
NYPD officer with thousand-yard stare
Therapy dogs with girls
TV in Port Authority trailer showing live broadcast
Flowers in fence surrounding site
Pool with replicas of tower footprints
Thank you for being my friend
“We lost both,” she said.
We miss u Uncle Harry
We love and miss you
Save us a space on your shimmering star
Matthew Diaz
I ♥ you!
FDNY photo in the pool
Dad, keep holding the door
Happy 29th birthday
Volunteer distributing roses
Police officer writing on reflecting pool
I love you so much daddy
God bless
Teddy bear with roses
Family coming back up the ramp
NYC Dept of Parks: Remembering Those Lost On 9/11
ABC: Video of a somber day
NY Post: Heaven’s Tears Flow
AM New York: Somber, emotional ceremony
NY Times: Bloomberg Tries to Move the City Beyond 9/11 Grief
NY Times: 90th Floor Frozen, Even as Ground Zero Changes
NY TImes: Near Ground Zero, Much Is Changed
NY Times: How Much Tribute Is Enough?
Thank you so much for posting this. For those of us unable to attend the ceremony and who were affected so deeply by this tagedy, it’s nice to see the images of the day.
Thanks for sharing annulla! Great pics to remember the 6 th anniversary of 9-11.
The tattoo of Uncle Mike brought tears to my eyes, and I lost it completely at “Dad, keep holding the door”. God bless you, annulla. Your strength and courage encourages me every day. Much love to you, my friend.
*sniffle*
Damn it. Now I have to go wipe mascara off my cheeks.
I’ve been putting off visiting your blog this week–I knew you would make me cry—and you did. What a gift you have for showing the real scene. Thank you for sharing it with us.
You’ve been in my thoughts a lot this week.
Thank you for showing the real stories of 11 September, annulla.
I live so far away but I feel included by the choice of photo’s and the tags.
May those who died rest in peace and those who remain find solace and healing
Kaua a matou i wareware i a ratou – We will never forget them
*Tears in my eyes.*
I’ve been thinking of you this week. Keep well my friend.
Your post and your pictures are so moving. I’ve seen them as you were uploading on Flickr and they move me again here. I also noticed how this was the first time the weather was the exact opposite as what it’s been since then. It felt weird in a way. Thank you for posting this, Annulla.
Thank you for sharing your photos and writing with us annulla. You’re on my mind at this time every year. I don’t often make comments but I wanted to make sure you knew I was still here. *hug*
Thank you for that, annulla. I will bookmark your blog now. I didn’t know you were here, and I’ve missed you.
As each year passes there is less coverage in Europe, of course, and I worked a long day Tuesday, so I missed most of the news anyway, so I was doubly glad to be able to read it here. Six years ago I didn’t leave the tv screen for almost 24 hours, so I felt close to it, and you’ve made me feel that way again.
Anne
What a beautiful tribute to the memorial and all the more powerful to Hashem and me because of the wonderful time you spent with us when we came to NYC and toured the site with you. You keep it real. You keep it human. HUGS.
I thought of you this week. thanks for sharing…
((((((((((((((((hugs))))))))))))))))))))
a very touching post, annulla…..
Un bel hommage de la ville de NYC, j’ai un ami qui a eut le chance d’en sortir vivant, mais depuis sa santé se degrade, il perd la vue petit a petit , et à un cancer du sang. J’ai fait pour lui un site Memorial au 11 Septembre.
A beautiful homage of the town of NYC, I have a friend who A had the chance to leave there alive, but since its health degraded, it loses the sight gradually, and with a leukemia. I made for him a site Memorial at September 11.
Thanks for the touching very human story of the tragedy. I have several friends who were NYC firefighters. All lived but have suffered huge health problems for their rescue efforts.
Beautiful (if I an say that) photos.