“Demonstrating the enduring legacy of that day in 2001, here are some of the places holding observances around the United States on the 18th anniversary of 9/11.”
All too often, the term “never forget” is used to demonize some general group of people. I’m ready to remember the good guys, not the villains. I’ll tell you what I will “never forget”: the guys who took out the terrorists on flight 93, and the men and women who put New York back together.
- The firefighters and others who lost their lives trying to do what they could. They were running toward the emergency area, not away from it, showing a bravery most of us could never muster.
- The first responders and others who survived the process of digging out bodies from the rubble, at great risk to their own lives, not just at the time, but to this day, as they feel the after-effects of the carcinogens they had to deal with.
- The construction laborers and drivers who spent endless hours clearing away that same dangerous rubble so that normal life could resume for the rest of us.
- The cops who kept order so smoothly in a frightened city.
- And even crazy Rudy Giuliani, who kept things organized, and helped us keep our chins up.
That was a group of tough, dedicated people who did their share and ours. Their contributions are what we should never forget.
I keep hearing that sinister music from Harold Faltermeyer at the beginning of Top Gun…
On the morning of 9/11, I was making 2 court appearances at the Westchester County Courthouse. Well actually I made 1 appearance because the order to evacuate came before I could make the second. I was fortunate that I lived in the Bronx, the northern most borough in NYC located directly below Westchester so I had no trouble getting home. It was very difficult to get through to anyone on the phone, so I found myself sending emails to friends and family letting them know I was OK. While to the best of my knowledge no one I knew personally died, many people I knew well were impacted. My uncle was (and still is) a retired fired fighter and he lost many friends. My girlfriend at the time came from a family with many firefighters. While no one in her family died, the family was deeply affected. Perhaps, the most impactful death was Father Mykel Judge.
Father Judge was the NY Fire Department Chaplain. He was officially the first certified victim of the attacks, though not the first person to be killed. He was praying over the rescuers, the injured, and the dead in the lobby of the South Tower when he was killed by falling debris from the collapse of the North Tower. When his body was discovered, it was carried to the alter of St. Peter’s Church by 2 firefighters, a FDNY EMT, a NYPD lieutenant, and a retired Army major. His body was later the first to be taken to the medical examiner and was designated victim 00001. He was awarded many posthumous honors and there was a thus far unsuccessful push for him to be canonized. Many believe he would already have been canonized if he hadn’t been gay. I was raised Catholic but have considered myself agnostic since I was 16. But if there is a heaven and Father Judge isn’t there, something is wrong with the universe.
Am not about to forget those people or anything else about that day. Even Crazy Rudy or W – imagine how our current Prez might have responded.
Also the busiest day of my working life – part of a thrown together multi Treasury/Fed office group trying to figure out how the hell we were going to do any auctions that week what with Fed NY dysfunctional, the financial district in total chaos, and a high percentage of the key brokers (at Cantor Fitz) missing and presumed dead. The 4-week bill auction slated for that day was canceled (not postponed) which as far as I know is the only time Treasury has ever done that.
Actually my most vivid personal memory of that day is my officemate crying over the nice people (they were) at the Marriott Twin Towers (2 blocks from the Fed) where Treasury people would stay when we went up to NY. And worrying about my friend Giles who worked in one of the Towers. Turned out later it was primary day and he had decided to vote early – meaning he didn’t get to his office before the building was hit.