KEEPING AMERICA ON TOP: WHOM YOU KNOW CELEBRATES AMERICAN STYLE INTELLIGENCE and EXCELLENCE:The 9/11 Memorial Highly Recommended by Whom You Know: Visit, Pay Your Respects, and Be Proud and Thankful to Be American
"Tomorrow New York is going to be here. And we're going to rebuild, and we're going to be stronger than we were before... I want the people of New York to be an example to the rest of the country, and the rest of the world, that terrorism can't stop us."
-Rudy Giuliani
We at Whom You Know adore Rudy.
"A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining. Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature. And we responded with the best of America — with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could."
-President George W. Bush 9/11/01 Address to the Nation
-President George W. Bush 9/11/01 Address to the Nation
We think President Bush is brilliant. Both of them.
There was a walkway just like this that Peachy used to walk through every day from the World Trade Center area to 3 World Financial Center. It is not there anymore.
"I can hear you, the rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon."
-President George W. Bush 9/14/01
Every person alive in New York should love this, democrats included. Being American supercedes party lines.
"From our perspective, trying to deal with this continuing campaign of terror, if you will, the war on terror that we're engaged in, this is a continuing enterprise. The people that were involved in some of those activities before 9/11 are still out there."
-Dick Cheney
Read our review of In My Time:
"It's very important to go back and keep in mind the distinction between handling these events as criminal acts, which was the way we did before 9/11, and then looking at 9/11 and saying, 'This is not a criminal act,' not when you destroy 16 acres of Manhattan, kill 3,000 Americans, blow a big hole in the Pentagon. That's an act of war."
-Dick Cheney
"The attacks of September 11th were intended to break our spirit. Instead we have emerged stronger and more unified. We feel renewed devotion to the principles of political, economic and religious freedom, the rule of law and respect for human life. We are more determined than ever to live our lives in freedom."
--Rudolph W. Giuliani. December 31, 2001
"On Sept. 11, 2001, thousands of first responders heroically rushed to the scene and saved tens of thousands of lives. More than 400 of those first responders did not make it out alive. In rushing into those burning buildings, not one of them asked, 'What God do you pray to?' What beliefs do you hold?'"
-Michael Bloomberg
“Ten years have passed since a perfect blue sky morning turned into the blackest of nights. Since then we’ve lived in sunshine and in shadow, and although we can never unsee what happened here, we can also see that children who lost their parents have grown into young adults, grandchildren have been born and good works and public service have taken root to honor those we loved and lost.”
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, speaking at the memorial service in New York
What it looks like directly underneath the names: (we were looking!)
If you know the name of someone that was a hero on 9/11/01, you can type in their name and look them up. As Peachy went to the most Irish Catholic school in America which is Boston College, she typed in the name Welles Crowther -watch that video-and she got this-
He is the guy with the red bandana, for any of you that missed his huge ESPN story.
After you look up a name, you can print out a pass to locate where you can find the name:
We found the name thanks to the pass.
We saw roses, we saw rosary beads; they were great.
But since Wells did not have anything BC by his name, Peachy stuck her class ring in the C of his last name by it for a picture. Ever to Excel!
But since Wells did not have anything BC by his name, Peachy stuck her class ring in the C of his last name by it for a picture. Ever to Excel!
We did not know him but must have run into him, particularly because Peachy was a sportswriter then and is still now, if only partially. It was kind of hard to see it above but here it is:
We love how the flag reflects in the WFC.
One thrill of going into Lehman everyday was the sixteen palm trees arranged in a perfect square:
Even if you are not enthralled with math like Peachy, you should still appreciate this.
This was demolished by the terrorists and was rebuilt.
Even more dramatic in black and white...
Someday, this will all be rebuilt but this is today, ten years later.
New York is getting there, and so is America.
The site tells us:
· The National September 11 Memorial & Museum occupies half of the 16-acre World Trade Center site.
· The National September 11 Memorial opened on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 attacks in a dedication ceremony for victims’ families. Its public opening date was Sept. 12, 2011.
· Due to ongoing construction on surrounding World Trade Center (WTC) projects, members of the general public need to reserve free timed passes to visit the Memorial, available at 911memorial.org.
· The 9/11 Memorial, designed by Michael Arad and Peter Walker, is entitled “Reflecting Absence” and was selected from a design competition that included more than 5,000 entrants from 63 nations.
· The 9/11 Memorial consists of two enormous reflecting pools set in the footprints of the Twin Towers. Each pool is approximately an acre in size; 30-foot waterfalls cascade down all sides. Hundreds of white oak trees line the surrounding plaza.
· The names of 2,983 victims of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center site, at the Pentagon, and aboard Flight 93, as well as the World Trade Center bombing on Feb. 26, 1993, are inscribed into bronze panels surrounding the pools.
· Unlike any other memorial in the world, the names of the victims are arranged by a concept architect Michael Arad describes as “meaningful adjacencies” guided by where people were, who they were with on 9/11, and more than 1,200 requests made by victims’ next of kin for individual names to be next to one another.
· Most broadly, the names are organized into nine groups: one for the victims of the February 26, 1993 bombing, two for the Twin Towers, four for the hijacked flights, one for the Pentagon, and one for the first responders. Within these groupings, the names of victims from each company or agency appear together. Personal relationships—spouses, fiancés, friends, co-workers, entire families, or those who barely knew one another but faced their final moments together—drove the deepest level of the arrangement.
· The full arrangement is available online at names.911memorial.org, as well as through electronic directories on the Memorial and native Memorial Guide apps available through the Apple and Windows Phone app stores.
· The Memorial will be one of the most sustainable, green plazas ever built. The Memorial project is pursuing the Gold certification under the LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC) program of the U.S Green Building Council and is designed to satisfy the requirements of New York State Executive Order 111 and the WTC Sustainable Design Guidelines, both programs that promote environment-friendly practices.
· When completed, the Memorial will serve as an eight-acre green roof on top of seven stories of below-grade spaces and a train station. The irrigation and storm water harvesting systems will ensure sustainable treatment of the site and conserve energy, water and material resources.
Stories from the Names Arrangement, from the Official Book of the 9/11 Memorial, A Place of Remembrance
The Falkenberg/Whittington Family
On Flight 77 was a family of four: Charles S. Falkenberg and Leslie A. Whittington, who had been married for 17 years, and their children Zoe and Dana, eight and three years old. The flight to Los Angeles was intended to be just the start of the family’s trip to Australia, where Leslie was to work as a visiting professor. They had been planning the trip excitedly with their daughters for months. The memorial arrangement places the names of the parents directly above their children’s.
The Brandhorst/Gamboa Family
On Flight 175, a family of three: Daniel Raymond Brandhorst and Ronald L. Gamboa, who were traveling with their son, David Reed Gamboa Brandhorst, also only three years old. Like members of the Falkenberg/Whittington family, these three are among the many examples of families who would have been separated in an alphabetical arrangement of names.
The Hanson Family
On the same bronze panel as the Brandhorst/Gamboa family appear the names of the Hanson family—Sue and Peter with their daughter Christine, at two and a half years old, the youngest victim of the 9/11 attacks. The family was on the way to visit Sue’s family in Korea, flying through Los Angeles. Peter had called his father from the plane at 8:52 a.m. to tell him he thought they had been hijacked and to ask him to call United Airlines. He called again at 9 a.m. That call ended abruptly; his father turned on the television and saw Flight 175 hit the south tower.
Donald James McIntyre and John Anthony Sherry
A personal request connected the first responders section of the memorial with the beginning of the World Trade Center section on the south memorial pool. Donald James McIntyre, a Port Authority police officer for 15 years, had been on duty on February 26, 1993, helping escort workers to safety during the first attack on the World Trade Center. On 9/11, he and his wife’s cousin, John Anthony Sherry, were both there. John was a trader at Euro Brokers in the south tower. When Donald called his wife that morning, he told her he was rushing to the 84th floor, where John’s offices were located. For their names to be next to one another along the south pool, the World Trade Center section on the south memorial pool immediately follows the First Responders section and the 37 Port Authority Police Department names, with the 61 Euro Brokers names listed first.
Victor Wald and Harry Ramos
Some of the adjacency requests are between people who barely knew one another but who formed intense bonds during that chaotic September morning, as reported by their loved ones. One such pair is Victor Wald, a stockbroker and only victim from Avalon Partners, and Harry Ramos, the head trader and only victim from May Davis Group. During the attacks, Victor tried descending the staircase but found it harder and harder to keep going. Somewhere around the 55th floor of the south tower, he decided to stop and wait for help. Many people passed by until Harry stopped. “I’m not going to leave you,” he was overheard saying to the stranger. According to several survivors, Harry helped Victor down the stairs until he could go no farther. On the form Victor’s wife returned to the memorial staff, she requested his name appear next to Harry’s because he “died alongside of him.”
The Vigiano and Langone Brothers
Unlike other sections of the memorial, the first responders’ names follow headings indicating their agencies and units, listed in horizontal rows following their unit titles, such as Ladder 10. Vertically, above and below each unit, appear others that shared the same firehouses and precincts. The layout further incorporates an intricate web of requests from families who sustained multiple losses or who knew their loved ones would want to be listed with lifelong friends. All such requests were honored, over 50 within the FDNY section alone. A number of adjacency requests crossed between two responder agencies, notably between the FDNY and NYPD. The Langone brothers, Peter with FDNY Squad 252 and Thomas with NYPD Emergency Service Squad 10, both responded to the 1993 bombing and were killed responding to the 9/11 attacks. “Tommy and Peter Langone grew up in a world where dealing with danger was a family tradition,” a loved one posted on a Squad 252 memorial website. “They were both following their essential dream; they were trying to save lives.” Likewise, John and Joseph Vigiano were brothers who responded with the FDNY and NYPD, respectively. “Two of the tightest brothers you could ever find,” read their New York Times “Portrait of Grief.”
Angela M. Houtz
The Pentagon section of the memorial lists the 125 names of those who were killed in the building when Flight 77 crashed into it. As with other sections of the memorial, the names of those within the same affiliation are listed together, including members of the Army, Navy, and civilians working for military branches. The family of Angela M. Houtz, a 27-year-old Navy professional and the first civilian ever to hold her post at the Pentagon, requested seven different personal adjacencies, all now listed around Houtz’s name on the memorial. “When Angie died, she was in a conference room with her co-workers, responding to the attacks in New York, when the plane hit,” her mother, Julie Shontere, explained. She wanted her daughter’s name placed among the names of those who had shared their final moments together.
The 9/11 Memorial by the Numbers
· 8,151 – Tons of structural steel used in the Memorial and Museum when complete, more than what was used to build the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
· 49,900 – Cubic yards of concrete used, enough to pave more than 200 miles of New York City sidewalks.
· 3,968 – Granite panels that line the interior of each Memorial pool.
· 420 – Pounds of each 2.5-foot-by-5-foot granite panel that lines the interior of the Memorial pools.
· 200 – Approximate feet in length of each side of the Memorial pools.
· 30 – Feet in height of the Memorial waterfalls.
· 550,000 – Gallons of water held in each Memorial pool.
· 52,000 – Gallons of water that run over the edges of both pools per minute.
· 16 – Pumps that power the Memorial waterfalls.
· 2,983 – Names listed on the Memorial.
· 1,000 – Pounds of each half-inch-thick bronze panel lining the Memorial pools.
· 5 – Hours, approximately, to cut each bronze panel for the Memorial.
· 8 – Hours, approximately, for two workers to hand-patina each bronze panel.
· 45 – Seconds, on average, to water-jet cut each letter on the Memorial panels.
The Survivor Tree
All but one of the trees on the Memorial are swamp white oaks, taken from the areas surrounding the sites impacted on 9/11. The one that is not is a Callery pear tree that became known as the Survivor Tree after sustaining extensive damage, but living through the 9/11 attacks at the World Trade Center. In October 2001, the tree with lifeless limbs, snapped roots and blackened trunk was discovered and freed from the wreckage at the World Trade Center. The tree was originally planted in the 1970s in the vicinity of buildings 4 and 5 in the WTC complex, near Church Street.
The damaged tree measured 8-feet tall when it arrived in November 2001 at the NYC Parks & Recreation Department’s Arthur Ross Nursery in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. It was nursed back to health and has since grown to a height of about 30 feet. Upon the tree’s arrival at the Arthur Ross Nursery, its damaged limbs were pruned, leaving primarily a blackened trunk with a tiny root system to be planted. Year by year, with the tender care and attention of the nursery staff, the tree has grown to greater and greater height, filling in with numerous branches and bountiful leaf cover.
In March 2010, the tree endured another traumatic experience after being uprooted in powerful storms that swept through New York, but ultimately lived up to its name. Caretakers righted the tree, examined its roots, pruned its branches, and secured it with cables. Parks Department staff and 9/11 Memorial staff partnered to ensure the tree's limbs were properly pruned in preparation for its return to the World Trade Center. Its root ball was also prepared so the tree could be safely moved to its home on the Memorial Plaza. The tree’s vitality is a true testament to its determination to survive, thrive and grow.
The Survivor Tree, which was planted at the Memorial in December 2010, will continue to grow among hundreds of swamp white oak trees that have been planted on the Memorial Plaza since Aug. 28, 2010. When the Memorial is fully complete, more than 400 trees will line its plaza, which features a complex soil-supported paving surface and unique cistern system designed to sustain the urban forest.
The 9/11 Memorial Museum
The 9/11 Memorial Museum will open in September 2012, one year after the Memorial. Visitors will enter the Museum through the Pavilion, located between the two pools, which will include an auditorium, a cafe, and other public spaces. It will also contain a private space for victims’ families.
The Pavilion is a graceful steel and glass building, designed by Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta with an atrium revealing two massive steel “tridents”—already installed and visible now from the Memorial. The seven-story, three-pronged steel columns were once part of the original façade of the Twin Towers, and were installed in September 2010 inside the Pavilion as the structure continued to be built around them. From the Pavilion, visitors will descend along a graduated ramp toward the core exhibitions at bedrock (Aedas, architects; Thinc Design with Local Projects, lead exhibition designers and David Layman, historical exhibition designer), the archaeological heart of the World Trade Center site.
The Museum will display monumental artifacts associated with the events of 9/11, while presenting intimate stories of loss, compassion, reckoning and recovery that are central to telling the story of the attacks and the aftermath. It will communicate key messages that embrace both the specificity and the universal implications of the events of 9/11; document the impact of those events on individual lives, as well as on local, national and international communities; and explore the continuing significance of these events for our global community.
The 9/11 Memorial Preview Site and the 9/11 Memorial Visitor Center
The 9/11 Memorial Preview Site and the new 9/11 Memorial Visitor Center are two spaces for visitors to learn about the plans for and progress of 9/11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center site, view real time images of the construction progress, and participate in the building the collection of the Museum by sharing their 9/11 stories. The Preview Site opened on Aug. 26, 2009 and is located at 20 Vesey St. between Church Street and Broadway, across from St. Paul’s Chapel. The Visitor Center opened on Sept. 12, 2011 and is located at 90 West Street, at Albany Street.
9/11 Memorial Leadership
· Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is chairman of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum
· Joe Daniels is president & CEO of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum
· Eleven family members of victims sit on the board of directors for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum
