NY Remembers 20th Anniversary of the End of Rescue and Recovery Efforts at Ground Zero – NBC New York (47)

This Memorial Day, May 30, marks the 20th anniversary of the formal end of rescue and recovery operations at Ground Zero. To commemorate that milestone, a ceremony was held at the 9/11 Memorial Glade honoring all 9/11 rescue, recovery, and relief workers, as well as those who are ill or have died from injuries and illnesses related to exposure to post-9/11 World Trade hazards and toxins Center, the Pentagon or near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The Memorial Glade, a quiet space dedicated to this community, is flanked by six large stone monoliths. Each monolith is inlaid with steel from the World Trade Center and stands as a symbol of strength and determination through adversity.

The ceremony began in Memorial Glade featuring an interagency honor guard and pipes and drums from the New York City Police Department, Fire Department, Port Authority Police Department, and the city’s Department of Sanitation.

In addition, there was the participation of congressmen such as Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney and the governor of the state, Kathy Hochul.

“This morning I had the opportunity to speak at a ceremony honoring 9/11 first responders. I am proud to continue to lead Congressional efforts to ensure that victims, first responders, and their families have access to the resources and care they need.” after the attacks,” said Congressman Jerry Nadler.

“It’s an extraordinary reminder, that as you go through the list of people who just showed up spontaneously, just showed up here to help restore and heal, and bring us back together, the common denominator for most is that they were New Yorkers, because it’s in our DNA. When we get knocked down, we fight back and we come back,” the Democrat said. “That is the history of this sacred land. There was a time when this was a huge hole. That hole has been healed with this beautiful shrine, this place of solemnity. A place where people can come. But that does not mean that the hole in our hearts has healed. Looking at family members who can’t believe it’s already been 20 years, my God, that’s almost a lifetime. And yet it has, and your fear may be, ” Will we forget?” And as Alice said, we will never forget this. Never forget this attack on American soil, unprecedented in its scale.”

“But for many, the devastation, the loss happened on that day, 9/11, but there are so many who know the bigger story. That for 260 days, people showed up here, exposed to toxins and pollutants. So the loss of lives that happened that day, we didn’t know at the time, but there would be an effect for each year, as I speak at the firefighters and police officers memorial in Albany, more names are added from 9/11, because people succumbed to diseases they had no idea they were exposed to, their families had no idea. They may have lived a long time with survivor’s guilt, but finally that day brought them down too. That’s what we don’t forget.” governor.

El 9/11 Memorial Glade

The website of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum explains how after the 2001 terrorist attacks, tens of thousands of men and women from across the country and around the world responded.

Facing a mountainous landscape of shattered and jagged steel at Ground Zero, and despite fires burning for 100 days, rescuers and recovery workers worked day and night for nine months. What began as a rescue operation turned into the grim work of recovering those who had died. Workers also had to remove nearly two million tons of debris. With sheer determination, they paved the way for reconstruction. His sacrifice would be received with suffering.

On the day of the attacks and during the recovery, hundreds of thousands of first responders and survivors, workers and residents were exposed to hazards and toxins in the air at and around the World Trade Center site, resulting in chronic illness and death. of thousands. Responders and workers at all three attack sites, including the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, have been affected. For the wounded, sick and dying, and for their families and friends, 9/11 remains a very present reality.

The 9/11 Memorial Glade is dedicated in his honor.

The original architects of the 9/11 Memorial, Michael Arad and Peter Walker, designed the Glade with the support of 9/11 Memorial & Museum Board Member Jon Stewart, 9/11 health advocates and providers, family members of 9/11, first responders, and residents of lower Manhattan.

Glade’s design includes a path flanked by six large stone monoliths, ranging from 13 to 18 tons, that are embedded with World Trade Center steel accompanied by an inscription at each end of the path. His design incorporates steel from the original World Trade Center site.

The Glade opened on May 30, 2019, during the 17th anniversary of the recovery effort. It is located just west of the Survivor tree, roughly where the main ramp used during the rescue and recovery effort once stood. In the history of the World Trade Center, the Ramp played an essential role in allowing the families of the victims to access the site after the attacks, as well as the workers who removed the rubble and laid out a path for reconstruction.