(Manhattan skyline Sept 11, 2008, photo courtesy of Elder of Ziyon. Click on picture to see full size. For contrast see the Elder’s Hole in the Sky.)
There were some excellent 9/11 roundups. For one thing the New York Times, for all my griping, sometimes still does serious journalism. It’s combined some fine reporting and analysis in its section on Sept 11, 2001. The section includes images of its front pages over the next 10 days as well as the reporting at that time. What was at once informative and tragic is its recreation of what happened to the people trapped in the upper sections of the towers. The information is put together from phone calls by the doomed people and the recreations are narrated by NY Times reporters. This is an incredibly powerful piece of work.
Both the Army and the DoD have 9/11 sites.
At the dedication of the Pentagon 9/11 memorial, Secretary of Defense Gates had some kind words for his predecessor.
Good morning, and thank you all for coming today. It is an honor to be part of this solemn occasion, and I would like to recognize Secretary Rumsfeld for the indispensable role he played in helping to bring the memorial project to fruition. Mr. Secretary, the valor you showed here, seven years ago, was an inspiration to all in the Pentagon and to all of America.
In all the Iraq vilifications, I think it’s been largely forgotten that on 9/11/01 Secretary Rumsfeld didn’t just sit around:
Mr. Rumsfeld was in his office on the third floor of the outer ring when he heard and felt the crash on the other side of the building. The 69-year-old former Navy pilot was jolted and rushed to the scene. ”He went outside the building and was helpful in getting several people that were injured onto stretchers,” said a Pentagon spokesman, Rear Adm. Craig Quigley. ”He was out there 15 minutes or so helping the injured.”
Yid with Lid dissects Keith Olbermann’s 9/11 rant, demonstrating why MSNBC was right to demote him.
Meryl reflects on her change in geography since 9/11 in 7 years later, 20 miles west.
Charles asks “Where were you on September 11?”
The answer I’d love to say is that it was beautiful day so I came home early from work to spend the day with my wife and one week old daughter. When I got home they were sitting out on the sunny lawn.
But however idyllic the scene was, the sunniness of the day did not dispel our worries. About an hour earlier I had gotten a call from my wife that the World Trade Center was on fire. I tried to find out what was going on, but most news sites wouldn’t load. The Windows on the World website, I think, was down. Since my wife hadn’t heard from her brother, she wanted me to come home.
My brother in law worked for Trade Web, which was located on 51st floor of the north tower. With phone circuits overloaded we remained uncertain about his whereabouts for a few hours, until he was on the ferry back to New Jersey. (He did contact my mother in law about 9:30 or shortly before the towers fell, and then we couldn’t get back in touch with him.)
Trade Web didn’t lose any employees. And it had an interesting story:
Similarly moving is the display on 9/11 that immediately greets visitors upon entry. Accompanying a promotional baseball found at Ground Zero by New York City firefighter Vin Mavaro is Mavaro’s letter to the CEO of Trade Web, the company that manufactured the baseball: “Being a baseball fan, coach and player, this item has become a symbol of hope for me.” For me, this pairing is even more poignant than Curt Schilling’s cap from the 2001 World Series, adorned with a New York Police Department shield. A lesser exhibit might have included only the professional baseball connection to 9/11 and missed how powerful the average person’s relationship to baseball can be.
And finally a Watcher’s Council rememberance.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
