I have been thinking about this post for the past couple of days. I hope it makes as much sense on "paper" as it does in my head.
3 years ago this coming December Rick and I went to New York for the very first time in our lives. We did typical tourist things: Looking out from the empire state building, going to times square, checking out the HUGE christmas tree, Central Park. The one thing I mentioned that I wanted to do was the one thing that ended up being the best thing we did while we were there. We went down to ground zero.
By that time it looked like a large construction site, as we know now what was being built, between the new building and memorial. As we tried to get to a high point to see over the fence into the construction site, we happened upon a sign that said "9/11 museum" with an arrow pointing to our left.
We looked at each other and said "why not"
What we found was a tiny museum about events from that day and how the towers were built to how people were rebuilding after. A separate cost to the museum was a tour. We were told it would be a 2 hour tour, and we didn't hesitate to pay for the tour. The time the tour started gave us an hour to check out the museum and let me tell you, I have never felt so much silence in a museum. As people read everything and took in all the objects on display, it was overwhelming, heartbreaking, and yet made you proud of who we are as a country that we could stand up after something like that and rebuild.
Onto our tour.
It began with the two tour guides introducing themselves and having us introduce ourselves. It was a small group and I loved the fact that everyone in the group was from somewhere other than the United States. Rick and I were the only ones from the USA in the group. We walked around the corner and stood infront of a wall memorial to the firefighters that had died. (It is a beautiful piece of artwork so I recommend you see it) I noticed as our 1st guide was talking about the wall our second guide,a woman, had gone and kissed her hand then touched a name. I would later find out whose name she was kissing.
The guides of these tours are people who are volunteers and were directly related to the 9/11 attacks. Joe was a firefighter and had been on the ground that day directing ambulances and firetrucks where to park while saving lives. He was also buried by the first tower collapse, pulled from the rubble, put on a boat to go across the water to a jersey hospital and while on the boat, buried under rubble by the second tower collapse. A story he told us after the history of the towers. He was a great speaker and had a wonderful presence about him.
We heard the whole story of the twin towers. How they were born, why they were built the way they were, who scaled them, how they scaled them, and what happened while they were being scaled, how they looked inside, the 93' bombing (which Joe was at also) to the collapse and his own story. At this point the woman stepped in to tell her story. Her son was a firefighter who died that day in the marriott hotel when the towers collapsed.
Michael D. Mullan. She spoke without crying about his heroics, about when she found out he didn't make it, to why she does these tours. She does them because she doesn't want anyone to forget what happened that day. She feels it is important for her to do this and tell her story because we should never forget, and we need to make sure our children know what happened, and that they never forget. She also was a wonderful speaker and the pride she exuded when talking about her son, the other fire fighters and heroes that day was catching.
The tour lasted about 3 hours, beginning at the fire station that was across from the towers (no longer a working station) to the american express building where there is a monument for the 11 people that died in the towers that day from their company.
We thanked them both for their time, gave them hugs and talked to them individually. The woman gave us her son's memorial card and it has been hanging on our fridge since the day we got home. That way we would never forget. We see it every day, see his face, see his name and on the back say "we will never forget".
To this day, we both feel that that was the best thing we did while we were in New York. That day alone made the whole trip.
I wish I could say I remembered her name, I think it is theresa, but I can only remember her sons name. If I saw her again, I would hug her, and show her the bracelet I bought. I got it from: http://www.memorialbracelets.com/ and it has Michael's name on it, that he was from NY, the date he died and VOT (Victim of Terror)
I wear the bracelet for her, for Michael, whom I have never met, but feel like I did from her stories, for all the people who died that day, and so that I can pass the stories onto my children.
Rick and I will go back to New York one day to see the new memorial. We will find Michaels name and we will go through the museum in it's permanent home, and if still offered, will pay to go on that tour again. Rick and I were not directly effected by the attack in the fact that we didn't know anyone in new york, washington, or PA. We experienced it on tv like millions of other people in our situation. But the one thing that day did was bring it to reality, or home as some people say. Both of us look at 9/11 differently now and I know that we both will never forget, our children will never forget, and the will know who Michael Mullan was.
3 years ago this coming December Rick and I went to New York for the very first time in our lives. We did typical tourist things: Looking out from the empire state building, going to times square, checking out the HUGE christmas tree, Central Park. The one thing I mentioned that I wanted to do was the one thing that ended up being the best thing we did while we were there. We went down to ground zero.
By that time it looked like a large construction site, as we know now what was being built, between the new building and memorial. As we tried to get to a high point to see over the fence into the construction site, we happened upon a sign that said "9/11 museum" with an arrow pointing to our left.
We looked at each other and said "why not"
What we found was a tiny museum about events from that day and how the towers were built to how people were rebuilding after. A separate cost to the museum was a tour. We were told it would be a 2 hour tour, and we didn't hesitate to pay for the tour. The time the tour started gave us an hour to check out the museum and let me tell you, I have never felt so much silence in a museum. As people read everything and took in all the objects on display, it was overwhelming, heartbreaking, and yet made you proud of who we are as a country that we could stand up after something like that and rebuild.
Onto our tour.
It began with the two tour guides introducing themselves and having us introduce ourselves. It was a small group and I loved the fact that everyone in the group was from somewhere other than the United States. Rick and I were the only ones from the USA in the group. We walked around the corner and stood infront of a wall memorial to the firefighters that had died. (It is a beautiful piece of artwork so I recommend you see it) I noticed as our 1st guide was talking about the wall our second guide,a woman, had gone and kissed her hand then touched a name. I would later find out whose name she was kissing.
The guides of these tours are people who are volunteers and were directly related to the 9/11 attacks. Joe was a firefighter and had been on the ground that day directing ambulances and firetrucks where to park while saving lives. He was also buried by the first tower collapse, pulled from the rubble, put on a boat to go across the water to a jersey hospital and while on the boat, buried under rubble by the second tower collapse. A story he told us after the history of the towers. He was a great speaker and had a wonderful presence about him.
We heard the whole story of the twin towers. How they were born, why they were built the way they were, who scaled them, how they scaled them, and what happened while they were being scaled, how they looked inside, the 93' bombing (which Joe was at also) to the collapse and his own story. At this point the woman stepped in to tell her story. Her son was a firefighter who died that day in the marriott hotel when the towers collapsed.
Michael D. Mullan. She spoke without crying about his heroics, about when she found out he didn't make it, to why she does these tours. She does them because she doesn't want anyone to forget what happened that day. She feels it is important for her to do this and tell her story because we should never forget, and we need to make sure our children know what happened, and that they never forget. She also was a wonderful speaker and the pride she exuded when talking about her son, the other fire fighters and heroes that day was catching.
The tour lasted about 3 hours, beginning at the fire station that was across from the towers (no longer a working station) to the american express building where there is a monument for the 11 people that died in the towers that day from their company.
We thanked them both for their time, gave them hugs and talked to them individually. The woman gave us her son's memorial card and it has been hanging on our fridge since the day we got home. That way we would never forget. We see it every day, see his face, see his name and on the back say "we will never forget".
To this day, we both feel that that was the best thing we did while we were in New York. That day alone made the whole trip.
I wish I could say I remembered her name, I think it is theresa, but I can only remember her sons name. If I saw her again, I would hug her, and show her the bracelet I bought. I got it from: http://www.memorialbracelets.com/ and it has Michael's name on it, that he was from NY, the date he died and VOT (Victim of Terror)
I wear the bracelet for her, for Michael, whom I have never met, but feel like I did from her stories, for all the people who died that day, and so that I can pass the stories onto my children.
Rick and I will go back to New York one day to see the new memorial. We will find Michaels name and we will go through the museum in it's permanent home, and if still offered, will pay to go on that tour again. Rick and I were not directly effected by the attack in the fact that we didn't know anyone in new york, washington, or PA. We experienced it on tv like millions of other people in our situation. But the one thing that day did was bring it to reality, or home as some people say. Both of us look at 9/11 differently now and I know that we both will never forget, our children will never forget, and the will know who Michael Mullan was.
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