By Terry Miller
I was supposed to visit my ailing father in New York early September 2001. My family had decided later in year would be better for visiting, when his cancer treatments were at a minimum.
Of course, it would be much later due to the fact that no aircraft was to fly into or around New York for many days post 9/11.
I managed to get the last seat on a Jet Blue flight to Kennedy on Sept. 26. The aircraft was full, many service men and women; firefighters and National Guard. It was a somber flight indeed.
I visited my parents but, as a photojournalist, my quest to get down to “ground zero” was pressing.
Getting close to ground zero was not an easy task and my Los Angeles press credentials didn’t mean a hell of a lot to those weary New York police and firefighters who for the past two weeks have been attempting to understand the enormous suffering that was inflicted on the city and the terrible loss of life. As I walked for miles through the dust-filled streets of lower Manhattan with debris from the Twin Towers evident in every store-front and building surrounding the site, I felt an uneasy calm. The streets were very quiet except for the occasional thud of metal falling from what remained.
It was a surreal sight. When I managed to convince one officer that I was a bona fide journalist, I was let through the first set of barricades only to see, around the corner, a glimpse of the twisted metallic remains of the two iconic towers. The smell of dust and jet fuel was everywhere. I looked across the street and found a position to shoot a few frames when a National Guardsman asked me to leave.
I was told that I was only allowed to photograph from a particular spot as it was still obviously a very active crime scene.
Across the street about 1,000 yards away, barricaded New Yorkers sobbed openly and placed photos of their missing loved ones on the sides of buildings. The number of missing persons was overwhelming to see.
I, and an NBC cameraman, were the only two photojournalists at this particular spot and we were asked to remain there and not go anywhere else for fear of arrest.
Locally there will be numerous services commemorating the day America was attacked. Check your local city’s websites for details.
In New York, ongoing focus remains on the new One World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan, completed in 2013. That year, construction workers finally placed the final pieces high atop New York City’s newest skyscraper, making it the tallest building in the Western hemisphere at 1,776 feet.
The single skyscraper replaces the iconic Twin Towers, destroyed on September 11, 2001 marking the first ever attack on U.S. soil.
Meanwhile, in cities and neighborhood across the U.S., solemn ceremonies and events are planned every year to mark the day, considered one of the darkest in America’s history on a par with the attack on Pearl Harbor.
More recently, the country has been placing less emphasis on the events of the day, and focusing more on the natural resilience of the U.S. in the face of utter tragedy. To that end, volunteering has markedly increased since the attack, as more Americans take part in community service in a positive step to commemorate the lives lost on September 11, 2001.
American TV broadcasts also have taken to reporting on the more human side of the events of the day, with specials and documentaries that usually air on or around the anniversary.
- As always, the anniversary of 9/11 in New York City will be marked at Ground Zero with four moments of silence — to observe the times when each plane hit and each tower fell, beginning at 8:46 a.m. Family members of all 9/11 victims are always invited to attend.
- Nearby St. Paul’s Chapeltraditionally hosts morning bell services followed by Prayers for Peace and ringing of the Bell of Hope in remembrance of 9/11.
- “The Tribute in Light” – Comprised of 44 7,000-watt xenon light bulbs arranged into two 48-foot squares in the shape of the twin towers, the tribute in light is located at West and Morris Streets in Lower Manhattan. Each year, the lights are light at sunset on 9/11 and burn brightly until sunrise on Sept. 12.
The National 9/11 Memorial was dedicated on September 11, 2011 on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in a ceremony for victims’ families. The following day, it opened to the public on Sept. 12, 2011 and remains open for visitors with advance passes.
The memorial features the country’s largest man-made waterfalls dramatically cascading into two sunken pools. These pools mark the footprints of the Twin Towers. The names of 2,980 victims have been etched in granite around the edges of the memorial. The effect seeks to create closure for families belonging to the nearly 40 percent of victims whose bodies were completely obliterated by explosions during the attacks.
Opened in the spring of 2014, an admission price of $24 is required to visit the 9/11 Memorial Museum which houses artifacts from 9/11 events, including personal items from survivors as well as the deceased donated by their families. In addition, there is an extensive audio collection of personal histories from emergency service workers, survivors’ families, as well as ordinary New Yorkers who witnessed the events of the day.