New York’s 9/11 Memorial and Museum

This is one of those anniversaries no one wants to mark, but mark it we must.

This year marks twenty-five years since 11 September 2001, when terrorists slammed their hijacked planes into New York’s Twin Towers, destroying the towers and killing almost 3000 people. On the same day, another plane crashed into the Pentagon and another plane, perhaps also planning to attack Washington, DC, was overtaken by passengers, forcing it to crash in Pennsylvania, killing all aboard.

In New York, the foundations of the two towers was turned into a moving memorial, with the 2977 names of all the victims – of New York, Washington and Shanksville, Pennsylvania – carved into black stone.

Architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker created this moving monument, entitled Reflecting Absence. Two reflecting pools spill into manmade waterfalls. White roses are often left next to the inscribed names.

The memorial opened on the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks, and I have been countless times to this moving spot since 2011.

This past summer was the first time I gathered the courage to also visit the 9/11 Museum. I have grown increasingly frustrated – not only with intellectually-challenged college students – but with a new breed of politician who possesses asolutely no shame in describing the day as “some poeple did something” or that “America deserved 9/11”. I was with my younger son when I decided to visit the museum, too. Although we’ve always taught our children what happend on that day, I thought it was important we saw it together.

It is moving, and pieces together the horror of that day. There are recordings and newscasts. Timelines. Pieces of the tower and burned out firetrucks and rescue trucks that illustrate the horrors of the day.

It’s important that the younger generations learn the true horror of what happened that day. Even if painful, it’s important to make a family visit to the site and to discuss what really happened that gruesome day.

This September will be a painful reminder, as we mark twenty-five years from this horrific terrorist attack.When you’re in New York, be sure to take your family to see the moving 9/11 Memorial and Museum.