Today marks the 17th anniversary since the attacks on our nation on September 11, 2001.
The attacks of that painful day marked the greatest single loss of life of rescue personnel in American history. It also was the largest loss of life resulting from a foreign attack on American soil.
A few years ago, I had the chance to visit for the first time the original site of the Twin Towers. According to its website, the Memorial’s twin reflecting pools are each nearly an acre in size and feature the largest manmade waterfalls in the North America. The pools sit within the footprints where the Twin Towers once stood.
Bronze panels inscribed with the names of every single person lost in the attacks are a somber testament surrounding the reflecting pools.
I also had the privilege of visiting the 9/11 Museum. It is both awe-inspiring and graphic. On that day, strangers became friends, helping those who were suffering. On that day rescue workers climbed to their deaths helping occupants of the buildings descend to the hope of life below.
Many displays are very emotional, but one that really struck me was the display of the cross erected at Ground Zero. As the world watched how America would react in this time of unspeakable grief, we bonded together with each other. Literally at the foot of the Cross, which was formed miraculously out of the steel beams of the collapsed buildings. It remains as it was then, a symbol of hope and a reminder of Him who sacrificed all for us. And it reminds us of those brave men and women who gave their lives on 9/11 so others might live.
The rubbish took a total of eight months to clear, after which the rebuilding process began.
In 2014, the One World Trade Center was completed, becoming the tallest building in the United States with more than 100 stories.
Today, we remember those whose lives were taken on that fateful day 17 years ago. We will never forget.
