by Lionel Bascom — May 11th, 2008 — 1 comment
Kimberly Ripley of New Hampshire, writing at www.gather.com:
“I walked as far around the perimeter (of Ground Zero) as the public was allowed. I just knew I’d find something to commemorate the lives lost here. I know plans for a memorial are in the making, but in the meantime I felt certain some type of makeshift tribute would be in place.
I found nothing. Aside from an American flag flying gently in the warm New York City evening breeze, there was nothing but construction equipment in the giant void that once served as a grave of sorts for the people who lost their lives on 9/11.
Why were there no flowers? Why wasn’t there at least a sign? “Rest In Peace.”
New Yorkers flowed by and around the area. Life seems a lot different than it was the last time I visited this city. It was just four weeks after 9/11. When I stepped off the train in Penn Station I was instantly heartbroken as I viewed hundreds and hundreds of signs with photographs on them.
“Have you seen this woman?”
”Has anyone seen my husband?”
Yet here it is just a few years later and nothing honors the void where the Twin Towers once stood.
In addition to the lack of respect and honor for those lives lost and their loved ones who remain, I think about the brave American men and women fighting terror in the Middle East. To not commemorate the tragedy of 9/11 negates (at least in my mind) what these soldiers stand for.
I know that one day a wondrous memorial will grace Ground Zero. But in the meantime I truly believe there needs to be something to remind us of the day that forever changed us as Americans. Our soldiers, our veterans, our 9/11 heroes, our dead, and their loved ones all deserve far better than what I observed there this evening.
6:28 PM in Uncategorized, The Construction, World Trade Center, Ground Zero, The Attack, Freedom Tower News, Neighbourhood
Oh, please… Let’s allow these workers the chance to do their job. The memorial will be constructed soon enough. Meanwhile, 9/11 responders are physically suffering and friends and relatives of the 9/11 victims and those of the 4,000+ military personnel who have lost their lives are emotionally suffering. They need some real help, not a tourist, looking for a place to feel heartbroken.
Ms. Ripley, believe this or not, people are still heartbroken. Despite the lack of visual stimulation for tourists, Ground Zero is a sacred site. The view of construction crews, rebuilding a structure that once reached to the heavens and was horrifically destroyed in a matter of minutes, is enough for me to remember those brave and innocent souls who are now a part of the spiritual world.
Jeanne · May 11th, 2008 at 8:03 pm