NEW YORK — New York University’s undergraduate journalism students traveled on Thursday to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum to report on the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Students from Professor Mary Quigley’s class spoke with several New Yorkers and visitors near the memorial, while others ventured to nearby bars frequented by New York City’s first responders. Here are the stories and voices of those who came to pay tribute to the 2,753 people who died in lower Manhattan after planes struck both towers:
‘Here to remember what we’ve lost’
NYPD officers, firefighters, and other first responders sat in the corner of O’Hara’s Restaurant and Pub, sipping on beer and laughing raucously. They came to this pub, decorated with police badges from across the world, to reminisce and pay respects to their coworkers, friends, and family members who passed away on September 11th.
The energy was high—until the sound of the bells rang from the television, marking the fall of each of the Twin Towers.
“We’re not here to party, we’re here to remember what we’ve lost,” said volunteer fireman Ken Corrigan, above, about O’Hara’s Irish Pub. “Bar owner Mike is our dad, without him we wouldn’t have a family.”
Corrigan, a former NYPD officer and one of the first responders, recalled the unforgettable day, describing how the men now sitting next to him — men he now regards as “more than brothers” — rescued him from the rubble 24 years ago.
“Our country called us — she was in severe trouble, and she called us,” he said. “And [we] answer our country every single day.”
— Yuki Lubin and Sarah Glodek
‘Grew up that day’
Native New Yorkers – Karla, 33, and Daniel Flores, 32, – were only eight and nine at the time of the 9/11 attacks – but as Karla says, “A lot of kids our age grew up that day.” Dressed in an American flag hat, Daniel and his sister visited Ground Zero this anniversary to pay their respects.
“As a child, you don’t understand the concept of death that much, but I understood that day,” said Daniel.
He still remembers watching the 24/7 media coverage and witnessing strangers cry before walls of missing person posters as they searched for loved ones. “When I realized what happened, I realized there was dark and evil in the world,” said Daniel. Even today, peering at the site of the Freedom Tower, still feels “surreal,” says Karla, who visited only four years ago for the 20th anniversary.
— Siena Bergamo
Three Best Friends Lost
Ricky Galarza visited Ground Zero to honor the memories of his three best friends – his softball teammates – and others who had died on 9/11. As he leaned up against the railing, clutching his cross-body bag, he remembered fond memories of playing softball with his teammates. His cousin was also severely injured and had to be carried by his family to receive medical attention.
— Dia Narain
‘Being a part of this is so special’
Thea Jorgenson, a member of the veterans nonprofit Team Red, White and Blue, came from North Dakota to watch the ceremony. “I was in the 8th grade and I remember walking into class and on the TV we saw the second tower go down,” she said. “I remember calling my mother to come pick me up from school even though I was in North Dakota.”
Jorgenson fears that the event is slowly being forgotten. She now hosts an annual September 11th event in North Dakota. “The numbers are dwindling year by year,” she said.
She urged people in New York City to volunteer to make sure that the legacy is never forgotten. “Just being here and being a part of this is so special.”
— Aryan Thumboochetty
Remembering a friend
Edward X. Young, a resident of Trenton, New Jersey, has come to Ground Zero more than ten times to pay respect not only to his friend, but to the other victims that perished in 2001.
Young’s friend John Hepherman had switched careers, going from playing rock music to becoming a NYC firefighter. He was with one of the first groups of firefighters to be called to the South Tower – and died trying to save people.
— Kirsten Marshall
A call to pay tribute
Nikole Robertson was only three years old when the events of September 11, 2001, occurred. Today, Robertson feels a deep connection to that day as a United Airlines flight attendant.
“I was always sensitive about that subject, but then when I became a flight attendant, it really came close to home, and I wanted to pay tribute to the people.”
—Tina Cardi
‘A plane just hit’
Chris White, a construction worker in lower Manhattan’s Financial District, was in class as a high school sophomore when the first plane, Flight 11, hit the North Tower.
“The proctor – one of the school’s coaches – had a TV on, but he wouldn’t let us watch it,” he recalled. He remembers the teacher barely saying a word, and then stating, ‘A plane just hit the tower,’ and then, “soon enough the other one hit.”
Today, he works close to Ground Zero and has grown accustomed to the Freedom Tower memorial. “We see it all the time and just walk by it every day. Normally it’s a bustling area. It is pretty somber today, though. It’s really quiet–-you can feel it in the air.”
— Olivia Sematoske
