September 11, 2001 attack memorials and services
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The first memorials to the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks began to take shape online, as hundreds of webmasters posted their own thoughts, links to the Red Cross, and other rescue agencies, photos and eyewitness accounts. Numerous online September 11 memorials began appearing a few hours after the attacks, although many of these memorials were only temporary.[1]
Around the world, U.S. embassies and consulates became makeshift memorials as people came out to pay their respects. Many U.S. ambassadors have said that they will never forget the outpouring of people as they showed their sympathy to the American people and their opposition to terrorism.
The Tribute in Light was the first major physical memorial at the World Trade Center site. A permanent memorial at the World Trade Center site is planned, as part of the design by Studio Daniel Libeskind. The plans call for preservation of much of the towers' foundational "bathtub," with glass towers wending around a spire that is 1776 feet high.
One of the places that had many memorials and candlelight vigils was Pier A in Hoboken, New Jersey, where many people saw the events of September 11 (Pier A had a good view of the World Trade Center.) There was also a memorial service on March 11, 2002 at dusk on Pier A when the Tribute in Light first turned on, marking the half-year anniversary of the terrorist attack. A permanent September 11 memorial for Hoboken, called Hoboken Island, was chosen in September of 2004.
The first anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks brought numerous memorials and services.
Eighty-one streets in New York City, mostly in Staten Island, were renamed after victims.
George Clooney arranged a televised benefit concert called America: A Tribute to Heroes which aired ten days after the attacks.
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[edit] Vigils and services
In New York City, candlelight vigils were held across the city on Wednesday night (September 12) and Friday night (September 14) at 7:00 p.m.
In Washington, DC, several thousand citizens marched in a candlelight procession through the Adams Morgan district, through Dupont Circle, past dozens of embassies and onto the National Mall, where they joined additional thousands of their fellow citizens holding vigil over The Pentagon, just across the Potomac River.
In the UK, in a break with the long-standing usual procedures at Buckingham Palace, the Queen ordered the Changing of the Guard to be paused for a two minute silence on September 13, followed by the playing of the American national anthem (On June 4, 2002, to mark the Golden Jubilee celebrations for the Queen, New York City lit the Empire State Building in purple and gold, thanking the queen for having the American national anthem played). A memorial service was held in Saint Paul's Cathedral, London, attended by the Queen and politicians on the September 14. A three minute silence at noon Paris time was held throughout Europe on the fourteenth. Rev. Billy Graham led a service at Washington National Cathedral, [2] with President George W. Bush, past and present leaders, and other politicians in attendance. Bush spoke, beginning with the memorable phrase, "We are here in the middle hour of our grief." The service was not televised worldwide, because people in Canada saw a similar memorial service on Parliament Hill, which Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, and U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci presided over and over 100,000 people attended. The service included 3 minutes of silence across Canada at 12:20 p.m., ET. When Bush made his visit to Canada in 2004, Prime Minister Paul Martin said that the service on Parliament Hill was the largest single vigil ever seen in the nation's capital.[3]
Vigils and memorial services continued to be held in the following days. On Sunday the families of the victims of the crash of United Airlines flight 93 gathered at the crash site in Pennsylvania for a private ceremony, then joined in a service attended by governor Tom Ridge and First Lady Laura Bush.
Church services are held across the United States and much of the world.[4]
On October 4, a memorial Mass was held in St. Patrick's Cathedral for NYFD captain Terence Hatton; Mayor Rudolf Giuliani and Governor George Pataki were attendance. A service was also held in Madison Square Garden for the 74 employees of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey who were missing and presumed dead.
At 11 AM: Blessing of the Animals
- Special service dedicated to the World Trade Center search and rescue teams at the Church of the Resurrection, 119 East 74th Street, free (212.879.4320). Service began at 11; blessing at 12:30 p.m..
A memorial was constructed and then set ablaze at the Playa del Fuego event on the October 19-October 21 weekend.[5]
At noon on November 29, a national memorial service was held at Westminster Abbey in London, attended by relatives of the British dead, and broadcast on UK television and radio.
On May 28, the last steel beam standing at the site was cut down and placed on a flatbed truck in a quiet ceremony.
[edit] Fifth Anniversary
On September 11, 2006, the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks was observed. While some chose to mourn, protests were also observed at some of the memorials, most noticeably at the World Trade Center, in NYC.
At the World Trade Center, the names of the victims were read in alphabetical order, by the surviving loved ones; spouses, parents, siblings or children.
By the PATH station, there were a mix of protesters and mourners. While some chose to mourn and remember attacks, some demonstrated their feelings, in forms of dance, paintings, therapy or speeches. Many heated arguments broke out between attendees, ranging from the political to the personal, only aggravated by the emotional nature of the memorial. In a few incidents, police intervention was required.
 President Bush and first lady visit the World Trade Center site. |
 Protesters and mourners argue and discuss. |
 A memorial wreath laid out for the Undocumented Victims |
 Memorials tied to a chain link fence |
[edit] Physical memorials
Impromptu memorials are put up at Washington Square, with hundreds of candles and flowers, and Union Square, where people write messages on large rolls of paper taped to the ground amidst candles, including a 6-feet high concrete candle. A mural is spray-painted on a wall in the Lower East Side. In the coming days the memorials continue to grow, especially at Union Square Park, where thousands come to congregate, grieve, and celebrate--the statue George Washington in Union Square overtaken as a shrine for peace, memory and the United States, thousands of candles are added, a metal sculpture of the American flag and 2500 roses planted in the shape of the World Trade Center towers. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) Hangar 17 holds the remains of the Twin towers including Column 1001-B of the south tower the last column to be removed. The Stars and Stripes appeared on front stoops, flagpoles, cars, clothing, and on public buildings across the United States.
A statue in honor of fallen firefighters, commissioned in 2000 by the Firefighters Association of Missouri, was in New York City en route to Missouri at the time of the attack. It was since donated to New York City in honor of the hundreds of firefighters who lost their lives in the collapse of the World Trade Center.
On October 4, Reverend Brian Jordan, a Franciscan priest, blessed two beams at the crash site which had formed a cross spontaneously, and then had been welded together by iron-workers.
On October 20, the North Charleston Coliseum raised a special banner featuring the retired number of Mark Bavis, who was on American Airlines Flight 11. Bavis had played for the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays, and his retired number hangs in a special corner, independently from the Stingrays retired number and awards banners, with "September 11, 2001" and an American flag.
On March 11, the damaged Sphere sculpture formerly in the World Trade Center was dedicated by the city as a temporary memorial in Battery Park City.
Beginning March 11, the Tribute in Light project, 88 searchlights placed next to the site of the World Trade Center created two vertical columns of light, lasting until April 14. This tribute is now made every year on September 11.
On September 11, 2002, representatives from over 90 countries came to Battery Park City as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg lit an eternal flame to mark the first anniversary of the attacks. Leading the dignitaries were Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, Bloomberg, and Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Although people from around the world were lost, communities in the New York City area lost many citizens in the attack. Colts Neck, New Jersey lost five members of their tiny community and commissioned sculptor Jim Gary, a lifetime resident, to create a memorial garden featuring his central sculpture of brass, copper, and stained glass—where each victim is represented by a colorful butterfly among plants in a water garden. The contemplative garden was dedicated at the municipal center of Colts Neck on November 10, 2002.
Similar permanent memorials are being constructed around the world, and a list of them is being updated as new ones are completed. 911 Memorials is a site that features the newest as they are added and provides a directory of each by community, state, and country in the column on the right of the site page.
On September 11, 2004 at 9:15am, Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli dedicated his sculpture, "Tear of Grief", a 10-story high tribute to be erected on the Jersey City waterfront across the Hudson River from where the World Trade Center towers fell. The sculpture is an official gift of the Russian government to commemorate the victims of the attacks. That evening, the Empire State Building went dark for 11 minutes at 9:11 p.m. in remembrance.
A memorial is being constructed at The Pentagon in memory of those who lost their lives at The Pentagon and on American Airlines Flight 77. [6] [7]
The World Trade Center cross has also become something of a memorial for the attacks, featured prominently in some memorial events.
[edit] Performances and benefits
On Thursday, September 20, the New York Philharmonic performed a memorial concert of Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem in Avery Fisher Hall. The concert was led off by the national anthem, and on the stage was a flag which appeared on stage during all Philharmonic World War II concerts. All proceeds went to disaster relief. At the request of the Philharmonic director, all applause was held, and the audience filed out in silence.
On Friday, September 21, America: A Tribute to Heroes
- A two-hour live telethon entitled America: A Tribute to Heroes, with musical performances and spoken tributes by top American performers, was simultaneously broadcast on nearly every single network. Celebrities such as Al Pacino, George Clooney and Jack Nicholson manned the phones.
On Tuesday, October 2, beginning at 8 p.m. EDT: Come Together: A Night of John Lennon's Words and Music
- A tribute to John Lennon that became a concert of prayer and healing for New York City to benefit the relief efforts, hosted by Kevin Spacey and featuring Dave Matthews, Moby, Stone Temple Pilots, Nelly Furtado, Shelby Lynne, Alanis Morissette, Cyndi Lauper, The Isley Brothers, Lou Reed, Marc Anthony, Natalie Merchant, Yolanda Adams, Sean Lennon and Yoko Ono, was held at Radio City Music Hall and simultaneously broadcast live on the TNT and WB networks. It had been scheduled before the attack to be taped September 20 and broadcast on October 9 to promote a non-violent world.
On Thursday, October 4, at 9 p.m. EDT: ART Benefit for Sept. 11 Fund
- Silent auction of photography, mixed media, painting and sculpture to benefit the victims, at View Bar, 232 Eighth Avenue, free (212.929.2243).
On Saturday, October 6, at 6 p.m. EDT: And the Sun Went Down
- Luvchild Theatre Ensemble performs a work in progress based on stories of people directly affected by the events of Sept. 11. All proceeds benefit victims and families, at New York Comedy Club, 241 East 24th St., $10 plus two drink minimum (212.330.9314).
On Sunday, October 7: AMF National Bowl-a-thon
- National effort to raise $3 million for the Twin Towers Fund. In New York City at 3 p.m.: Chelsea Piers, $200 per lane. [8]
On Monday, October 8: New York City Columbus Day Parade
- The annual Columbus Day parade is dedicated to victims and rescue and relief workers. The NYPD and FDNY did not march in the parade as they usually do, but they sent a single fire truck instead, in somber memory.
At 3 p.m. EDT:
- Free Brooklyn Philharmonic concert conducted by Robert Spano at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with music from American composers, including George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, and Aaron Copland. The concert is rebroadcast on WNYC at 8 p.m.
On Monday, October 8 and October 15, from 11-8: Haircut for Life
- Roberto Novo and his stylists cut hair to benefit WTC victims at the Roberto Novo Salon, 192 Eighth Avenue, $25 minimum (212.929.1652).
On Tuesday, October 9: Benefit for WTC Disaster Fund: Celebration of John Lennon's Birthday
- The East Village Antifolk scene play John Lennon's and their own songs to raise money. Performances from The Voyces, Joie DBG, Amos, Bionic Finger, Laura Fay, Barry Bliss, Tony Hightower, Linda Draper, Pat Cisarano, Lach, Testosterone Kills, Kenny Davidsen, Jude Kastle, Bree Sharp, Erica Smith, Fenton Lawless, Grey Revell, at the Sidewalk Cafe, 94 Ave. A, two-drink minimum (212-473-7373).
On October 17, Marvel Comics and other members of the comic industry release a tribute book, primarily with drawings of firefighters and police officers, with proceeds going to the victims. Other charity books are also in production.
On February 23, 2003, the 45th Annual Grammy Awards were held at Madison Square Garden and paid tribute to those who died during the 9/11 attacks, to whom the ceremony was dedicated. Ceremony host Bruce Springsteen performed "The Rising" at the Awards.
[edit] Memorial efforts
Many families and friends of victims have set up memorial funds and projects to give back to their communities and change the world in honor of their loved ones' lives. Examples include:
- Beyond the 11th
- The Peter M. Goodrich Memorial Foundation
- Our Voices Together
- September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
- Heroic Choices (originally the Todd M. Beamer Foundation)
- Tuesday's Children
[edit] See also
- World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition
- World Trade Center Memorial
- Flight 93 National Memorial
- Pentagon Memorial
- In Memoriam to add a memorial to an individual victim
- Personal Experiences to add a general memorial or tribute by describing your experience
[edit] References
- ^ For an assessment of the response of webloggers to the attacks, see When blogging came of age
- ^ [1]
- ^ CNN LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER, Interview With Paul Martin
- ^ An example of church services held [2].
- ^ [3]
- ^ Pentagon Memorial Web Site [4]
- ^ Official Press release at the United States Department of Defense [5]
- ^ http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-19-2001/0001575196&EDATE=
[edit] External links
- Lefty's September 11th Memorial - Have You Forgotten?
- Attack on America: The Victims' Voice
- From 88 Searchlights, an Ethereal Tribute, The New York Times March 4, 2002
- THE VICTIMS: A Homegrown Memorial Brings Strangers Together
- Statue to Fallen Firefighters to Make Its Home in New York, The New York Times, 9/19/2001
- THE PENNSYLVANIA CRASH: 44 Victims Are Remembered, and Lauded, The New York Times, 9/18/2001
- The New York Times THE VIGILS: Surrounded by Grief, People Around the World Pause and Turn to Prayer Information to be incorporated
- 9-11 memorial monuments in Illinois from The Chicagoland Vibary Network
- A Garden Stepping into the Sky
- Photographs and 360 QTVR Scenes- NYC 9/11 Memorials
