NEW YORK - On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, America was changed forever as two airplanes crashed into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, bringing them down with nearly 3,000 innocent lives trapped inside.
Four years later, despite Katrina and the Tsunami, the families and friends of the fallen still held dear the memory of their brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, and friends.
Honoring his brother, Anthony Gardner said in front of hundreds, "Harvey Joseph Gardner III – You are in our hearts forever. Your spirit will always inspire us. I pray that we will succeed in our efforts to protect your memory and your legacy. Rest in peace, sweet brother."
At the official Sept. 11 Commemoration Ceremony held at Ground Zero, relatives of the fallen read the names of the 2,749 World Trade Center victims out loud. Some who read choked in tears, but all gave their personal tribute to their beloved. The Commemoration drew hundreds of family members. Friends and others watched from outside the fence.
PATH train maintenance worker Bill Wisowaty, who was there on the day of the attack, came to pay his tribute.
"It's tough because it's still fairly new,” said Wisowaty, 42. “Everybody's been saying that four years have gone. We're victims. It's murder. You know I could've been down there. It's tough to put one aspect on it because it's still so fresh.”
There were 346 rescue workers – firefighters, Port Authority staff, New York policemen, and medical personnel – that died while trying to save lives.
In offering his comfort, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani told the crowd, "All who have lost brother or sister should know that their loved ones helped to save the spirit of our nation on the day of its greatest attack. They not only saved lives; they saved our country."
Giuliani's sentiments were echoed by Orlando Suarez, an Emergency Medical Technician who lost a co-worker on the day of the attack.
"I believe they had a greater purpose,” he said. “A lot of them gave their lives to save our families and our values and beliefs, and we owe them a lot."
The need to hold onto the memory and "never forget" was the sentiment that resonated throughout the square block where the Twin Towers used to pierce the sky. All around the large square city block were memorials, flowers, flags, and people listening to the loudspeakers of the ceremony down on Ground Zero.
Four moments of silence were observed, at the times when each plane struck a tower and when each tower fell as houses of worship rang their bells throughout the city.
A “Tribute in Light” will beam two shots of bright white light into the sky beginning at sunset and will fade away at dawn on Sept. 12.
Rhoda Tse
Christian Today Correspondent
