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Reflections on the Half-Anniversary
 | | Some of the tributes from all over the U.S. and the world that line the fence at St. Paul's Church. |
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By David Zukerman, NYC & Winsted
The terrorists who on September 11 killed hundreds of people on four hijacked planes, along with thousands of people on the ground, failed in their mission. The terrorists who attacked our country were seeking, no doubt, to cause us grievous national harm. What they did instead was to release an outpouring of pride in our country and to strengthen greatly the bonds between New York City and the other parts of our country.
A survey in Newsday on October 21 noted that the people who perished at the World Trade Center came from 41 states—and from some 60 countries. Likewise, the visitors who come to pay their respects at the viewing platform overlooking Ground Zero are from all over the country, and from other lands, as well. And the memorial tributes that have been placed outside St. Paul's Church, one block from Ground Zero, also come from across the country and other lands.
New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, in a letter in the Albany Times Union on March 21, called for making September 11 a "Day of Remembrance" with flags to be flown at half-staff, to help us focus "our thoughts and prayers" in recalling the tragedy.
Evidence of a national outpouring of "thoughts and prayers" in remembrance of September 11 have appeared wherever officials have permitted such expression in New York City. The greatest such outpouring, to my knowledge, was found at Union Square Park from September 11 until September 26, when these "thoughts and prayers" were ordered removed from the park.
Workers are said to be nearing the end of the task of recovering human remains at the World Trade Center. The remains of eleven firefighters were reported recovered on March 12, and the remains of five uniformed personnel were reported recovered on March 20. These remains were found at the wreckage of the South Tower, where, after six months, workers have reached the lobby and basement levels.
A New York Times front page story on March 17 began: "They are reaching the end of the line at Ground Zero." But this refers only to the task of recovery of the victims who were killed at the World Trade Center. National recovery is still in its opening phase.
The discussion as to the future of the World Trade Center has begun. There was one report that the owner of 7 World Trade Center plans to rebuild, with some opposition from people who want Greenwich Street to remain open. (The 7 World Trade Center building blocked Greenwich Street.)
With the debate to proceed as to the appropriate memorial at the World Trade Center, there is talk of a memorial for victims of terrorism in Washington. This prompted New York Post columnist Eric Fettman to comment on March 21: "America should not be building monuments to its most horrendous defeat."
For me, there is no defeat in the eloquence of the "thoughts and prayers" placed by a free people in tribute to their fallen countrymen. Such eloquence was seen, for two brief weeks, last September in Union Square Park. Such eloquence has been visible elsewhere in New York City—indeed, in the country—ever since.
The Ground Zero site encompasses sixteen acres. If rebuilding is to take place on this site, in any measure, it ought not to be where the Twin Towers stood. That portion of the sixteen acres should be recognized for the national hallowed ground it became on the morning of September 11—and, in perpetuity, should remain a place for the American people to express their "thoughts and prayers."
Certainly, the decision on the future of The Sixteen Acres requires national reflection, consideration and consensus. It was, after all, the nation that the terrorists attacked on September 11. It was people from across the country who gave their lives at the World Trade Center, and it is people from across the country who now travel to where the World Trade Center stood in lower Manhattan in the City of New York. In memoriam, the souls of September 11 and the Twin Towers stand in the heart of America.
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