As
tourists pass by the giant pit where the Twin Towers
once stood, volunteers like
Jim Kelly are reading aloud brief portraits of the
victims compiled by The New York Times.
"These people are normal, just
like you and I," said Mr. Kelly. "They
went to work. They never returned. Just reading
their small bio of 4-5 minutes each is enough to
say, hey, we still care about you and you were a
normal person and we want to learn about the intricacies
about your life."
New Yorker Susan Elefant still mourns
the loss of friend Harvey Hermer. She finds his
portrait in the book and begins to read: "He
was an electrician. He was dependable. And on September
11th, he was working at Cantor-Fitzgerald at One
World Trade Center and his boss left him in charge
of a crew on the 105th floor."
Susan Elefant says the first anniversary
of the terrorist attacks will be difficult. But
she says she and her husband will remember their
friend in their own way, by seeing a baseball game.
"Actually, we are going to the Yankee game
and we are going to save a seat for Harvey and put
a Yankee hat down [in his honor]," she said.
"We did that for him last year when the Yankees
beat Oakland and we are going to beat Boston. And
Harvey was a special person and we will always remember
him, especially here."
A few steps away on the viewing platform set up
for the public, tourists from the Netherlands gather
around a man displaying photographs of the Twin
Towers.
"I am an amateur photographer.
Let me show this picture, here. This is the Fourth
of July, 2001. Who would have thought that two months
later the whole world would change, right?"
said Harry Roland. He can remember when the Twin
Towers were being built and at one time he was a
tour guide at the World Trade Center. One year after
their destruction, he is still angry.
"You are not just going to
come here and knock down two buildings and think
we are going to cower to your demands, just because
you take a religion and twist it to your own personal
agenda," continued Mr. Roland. "Okay,
most of us know that the Islamic religion is not
hateful. But how can you brainwash some people to
think that this is what your Allah wants? Your God
wants death? No God wants death. God is life. God
is love."
A few steps to his left, two paramedics from Glendale,
California, stare at the open pit. Mike Bell was
here last year and recalls all the smoke and rubble.
Although the scene has changed, the emotions still
run deep.
"It has changed a lot since
we were here last year," said Mr. Bell. "Last
year there was a pile, and now there is a hole.
And there is still as much disbelief as there was
last year. You can not get your head around it [understand
it]."
