Ten Years After 9/11..Some Healing...Some wounds Remain

 In the decade since September 11, 2001, thousands of survivors have walked the difficult path of recovery. At the World Trade Center alone, epicenter of the terrorist attacks that unfolded in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, an estimated 12,000 people emerged from the twin towers alive. Coping has varied widely; some moved forward anchored by faith, fortitude, or family. Others struggle with a healing process that remains painful, drawn out, and elusive.
Most have kept mementos of that horrific day, among them the clothes they were wearing, a breakfast receipt issued 15 minutes before disaster struck, a singed piece of personalized notepaper kept on a 100th-floor desk and recovered several blocks away. These artifacts speak of the personal experiences that keep the collective memory of history vivid and fresh, even as the tragedy fades in time.

This fragment from one of the airplanes that struck the World Trade Center in 2001 was recovered in lower Manhattan. (Courtesy New York State Museum)

Look Back With Me...One More Time

 

November 11th, 2001...Still heartbreaking