911. We Must Never Forget.
9/11. We must never forget.
Always remember the fallen.
Remember those unfortunate who happened to be in those towers on that infamous day.
Remember those who lost their lives needlessly in Flights 11, 175, and 77. The latter crashed in to the Pentagon.
Remember the unwavering courage and heroism of the Passengers who took down United Airlines Flight 93 into a field in Pennsylvania, a plane that was targeted for the White House.
Gently leave a rose at your doorstop, on a fountain, in a field.
Or simply light a candle.
My Day by the Reflecting Pool
Today was a very overcast and dreary day in NYC, and as I was walking toward the 911 Memorial site and Reflecting Pool in the distance while about one-eighth of a mile away, I could hear the foreboding sound of a serviceman’s bugle playing “Taps.”
Feeling a desolate void overcome me while continuing to shoulder an immense responsibility of being involved in a new upcoming documentary, I was seriously torn in conflict.
I didn’t want to go.
But somehow I summoned up a stiff upper lip, and trudged onward.
Conjuring up all of my strength, today on this hallowed anniversary I made a conscious decision to visit the 9/11 site for the first time in more than 2 months.
In the end, I was compelled to visit the 9/11 Reflecting pool today, and by design I was arriving near the end of the naming ceremony.
More melancholy sounds from the bugle continued to play.
An Anniversary Requiem
The city was eerily very quiet on this Wednesday on this 18th anniversary of 9/11.
Other than the sounds of the bugle representing an anniversary requiem.
After the naming ceremony ended and the bugle sounds faded into the distance, once again I began to walk around the 9/11 site grounds, which included the North and South Reflecting Pools “Waterfalls”, the 9/11 Memorial Museum, the Survivor Tree, and One World Trade Center, standing ominously through the thick cloud-cover.
As I walked around these sacred burial grounds in a trance-like state, once again I felt deep emotions returning.
I realized that these reflecting pools were the footprints of the once formidable Twin Towers that were befallen on this most infamous day in history.
Quickly I took notice of the strange juxtaposition between the new ultra-modern Oculus structure with its stark white wing-span, with the bugle man and 911 “Reflecting Absence” in the foreground.
Seeing the “Survivor Tree” as a symbol of survival, the beautiful visions of the 9/11 victim’s family names etched in the onyx marble surrounding the pools, and vivid stories of this human tragedy from the past brought out moments of heart-wrenching sadness.
Reflecting deeply upon the realization I was standing upon this hallowed burial ground in front of the 9/11 pool, I stared at the memory of the bugle man for a brief moment
Once again as during my night visit 2 months ago, I almost broke down.
Gathering myself together, I quickly picked myself up, now with an even deeper understanding and empathy of the meaning and gravity of this terrible tragedy.
I swiftly left the site though Oculus, boarded the A train and was soon home.
Kaju
Recent Comments
69
It's a pleasure Pleasure, I needed an outlet to get it out.
Thank You for honoring the victims and the families:)
Kaju
Beautiful post, Kaju. I don't think any of us will ever forget that day, or where we were at the time we heard of the incident.
Bless all those who lost their lives on that horrific day!
Virginia
Thank You, and you are right Virginia. None of us will ever forget that day. Its one of the few moments in history where no matter what part of the world we lived in, so many remember what they did on that day.
God Bless the befallen, the Families, the First Responders, and all the lives that still suffer from the lingering horrific consequences of 9/11.
Kaju
Let us not forget. Thank you for sharing the great pictures and the post.
Best wishes, Michael
Never forget Michael. We shall Never Forget.
Sharing this post is the least I can do.
Thank You,
Kaju
Thanks, Kaju, nice post!
As I ran errands today I saw all the flags at half-mast around town. I remembered my visit to NYC and the 911 Memorial last summer and of course the memories of that terrible day.
I pray that all those lost on this day will somehow not be in vain. And the world can come together as one people and move past all the hatred and violence that seems to plague us on a weekly, sometimes daily basis.
Regards,
Michael
Thank You for that beautiful tribute Michael, we all lost something that day. The world changed forever. Unfortunately almost 2 decades later we are still dealing with even more division, hatred, and violence, everyday.
I'm happy you have fond memories of the 9/11 Memorial and hope you will come back:)
Kaju
Definitely will return. We stayed in Times Square which was really cool. So much to do and so many sites to take in. The memorial was awesome.
Next time you come back to NYC, if you want to stay very close Tim, look into the Millenial Hotel. It's right next to Century 21, only a few blocks from the Memorial.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and feelings on this monumental day of remembrance.
Should I ever find myself able to travel again the 911 Memorial is at the top of the list.
God Bless those whose lives were lost, their families, the first responders who had the unimaginable task of search and rescue, or worse - recovery, and all the good people around the world who still believe good overcomes evil in the end.
We will never forget ❤️🇺🇸✝️
KyleAnn
Thank You Kyle Ann, let's continue to remain positive and believe that good outcomes will prevail.
And most of all Never Forget the Victims of this unspeakable tragedy - the Families, the First Responders, and the Fallen - and the people who lost their lives due to respiratory complications YEARS later.
We will never forget.
Kaju
Thanks for your memorial post and pictures. Our world was changed forever that day. We must never forget.
Beautiful memorial, Kaju. I thought of you today when I remembered your other post about the site and the documentary. Figured you would be there today. No, we must never forget, and your efforts for the documentary will help keep that from happening.
Thank You for thinking of me Carol:) I'm happy you knew I would be there, as I am every year.
With our continued efforts with all that WE do, we strive to make this world a better place:)
Kaju
Thanks, Kaju.
It certainly brings back memories as I had been there but a few days prior wandering around the buildings.
Then watching TV and thinking this is a bad movie before being jolted into reality. The world was numb and most unable to comprehend that this could happen in modern society.
The world changed that day however I am not sure if it is a better place
but we all strive to make it better.
RIP
It was completely surreal Peter. Incomprehensible.
We all seem to have our own sub-story of where we were that infamous day.
The world indeed did change. There is only a Pre-9/11, and a Post 9/11 world in my lifetime.Let's continue to strive to make it better, and to honor the Fallen, The First Responders, and the Families,.
God Bless,
Kaju
Eighteen years ago...I will always remember this day and how it changed my family's lives forever.
I was at my hourly job on this day 18 years ago...I was activated with the Air Force Reserves one month later for 11 months.
It changed the way I saw the world and the safety of the United States. But, the one thing I remember the most is how it pulled us all together.
Every country that lost people in the WTC as many companies from different countries had employees that worked there.
We all pulled together and prayed, we all pulled together in so many different ways to support each other.
I pray now for all that lost their lives and their families as they had to grieve and work through that loss.
My prayer is that we all work together for peace and harmony in this world regardless of our differences and come together to prevent another thing like this from happening anywhere in the world.
God Bless,
Bob M
Thank You for this call for unity Bob:) We must all pray that these atrocities never happen on our soil again (or any soil), and continue to honor the families, the first responders, and the fallen.
We ALL remember where we were on 9/11.
God Bless,
Kaju
Yes Bob, we all continue to pray and Hope. It's difficult when there is still all the gun violence, hatred, and division happening all over the world.
But we must.
God Bless us All, wherever we Live in the World.
May the scope of these Atrocities Never Happen again,
Kaju
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My God bless the families of the people who died, the first responders who sacrificed, the troops who endure, and the diligent members of Homeland Security fighting to keep us safe. May he also keep the souls of the innocent and offer safe passage to the victims, calling each to be at his hands, to the left, and to the right when judgment comes.
Amen, Andy. You have said it all, I could not have said this more complete. Thank You.
Kaju