I remember while growing up that our family would often get together around the 4th of July for family reunions. During those gatherings the adults would sit around and tell stories. I remember as a kid that there were times I didn't feel like playing any longer and I would sit by the adults and often listen. Some of the stories they told were interesting and they have stuck with me through adulthood.
I remember my father talking about where he was when he learned about the bombing of Peril Harbor. A couple of years later he graduated from high school and enlisted, eventually serving in the Pacific Theater and subsequently as a member of the occupying force in Japan. I also remember other family members recounting what they remember when they learned that John F. Kennedy had been shot or when Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were shot. I seemed to remember thinking that these adults only remembered "bad" things.
As I grew older I had similar moments like those recounted by my family members at reunions. I remember vividly that March day in 1981 while driving down Monroe Avenue when I heard on the radio that Ronald Regan had been shot. In January 1986 I was lying on the couch in my trailer because I had called in sick from teaching. I was watching the Challenger launch because Sally Ride, a fellow teacher was a member of the crew and would become the first teacher in space. As I watched the shuttle streaked toward then heavens, suddenly smoke trails appeared in the bright blue sky. I knew instantly that what I was watching was not normal.
The most
seminial event I can vividly recall occurred on a bright blue fall day in September of 2001. Do you remember where you were when you learned about the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center Twin Towers? I certainly do. This event unlike the others I mentioned previously seemed to mark a seismic shift in the world.
Last week I had the opportunity to visit New York City for the first time. Our dog,
Mango, was chosen as the hero therapy dog by the American Humane and was flown to NY to appear on the Today Show. We were in NY for only one day on business, but we were able to see a bit of the downtown. Most importantly we were able to take two hours out of our day to visit the 9-11 Memorial and Museum.
We arrived at the Memorial and Museum later in the afternoon on a damp and rainy day. The crowd to enter the Museum was not large. There was an entry fee. I toured with a small group of ten people on a special tour planned for our group of ten. We had a tour guide who walked us through the Museum and provided some stories about the Museum and the items on display.
The Memorial was located on the ground where the original Twin Towers stood. Each Tower is represented by a pool of water descending into the ground. The waterfall like Memorial reminded me of the falling of the Towers. Along the edge of the square waterfall was a framing wall that included the names of the individuals who were killed at that particular Tower. I was reminded of the influence of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC that when it was first built was controversial. Since the unveiling of the Vietnam Memorial its design has been highly influential. Monuments built since that one has incorporated the names in the design.
I was struck by how well the Museum utilized the original footings from the Twin Towers and the underground parking and walking areas that were part of the original structures. Because the Museum was located on the actual site it added to the awe of the Museum. I was struck by how quiet and respectful everyone was as they toured the site. It was clear that many of us felt the awe of the moment and the sacredness of the location. One area of the Museum included dust and other debris that people felt might still contain the remains of those who lost their life that day, but had not yet been recovered. The tour guide mentioned that the designers and builders felt it was important to keep the debris because they hoped technologies would develop in the future that might allow for any remains to be located and identified. I was deeply moved by this idea.
The Museum contained a steel beam where a plane had struck. You could see how the steel bent upon impact and it became very clear to me that the force with which the plane struck was beyond anything I could imagine.
The Museum also contained a wall filled with a variety of blue squares. This piece of art work was meant to symbolize the day from comments that almost everyone interviewed mentioned - the day was bright and the sky was very, very blue. I vividly remember the same thing - the sky in Michigan that day was very, very blue. That piece of artwork was very moving to me. None of the blue squares duplicated another - consequently it represented every possible hue and shade of blue. It also reminded me of the tremendous diversity of the individuals who died that day.
The Memorial also included a room that displayed the timeline of the events of September 11, 2001. It also included displays identifying and remembering the individuals who lost their lives at the Towers that day. Photography was not allowed in this area. While I was struck by the respectful and quite manner in which individuals toured the main portion of the Museum, I was even more moved by the solemness that people displayed while touring this area. The area containing the portraits of all of the individuals who died that day was particularly amazing. Because the portraits were displayed side-by-side it was difficult to focus on only one portrait. The manner in which the portraits were displayed drove home the overwhelming number - 2996 - of people who died that day at the Towers.
Our visit spanned about two hours. I felt like I could have spend much more time at the Museum. I am sure that I will visit New York again one day and I will be sure to devote more time to a visit to the Museum. The Twin Towers footings would never again house a building, but remain a solemn memorial to that day. New York replaced the Towers with the Freedom Tower. This structure was build never the site of the original Twin Towers and stands as a wonderful building symbolizing New York City's rebuilding in the aftermath of the horrific events. As I stood and gazed at the Freedom Tower I couldn't help be wonder how the families of those who were lost that day "rebuilt" their lives and whether or not rebuilding their lives was even possible. The horrific events changed the New York City landscape and the landscape of the 2996 families who lost loved ones on that fateful September day.
Ok, I'm breaking with the theme. This is a site where I'm suppose to capture various birds that I see in my world. A couple of years ago I moved from the Midwest to the West. Since them I have not been as active in my "birdwatching" as I was when I could attract these wonderful creatures to the habitat in the backyard. So what that confession I post something that is NOT a bird - a Horn Toad.
