Sunday is the ten-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania. Since then, children have grown up, wars have been fought, and new buildings are rising in New York City. But we will never forget the victims. In 2005, the folks at StoryCorps began recording the stories of people affected by the events of September 11, 2001 for a project called the September 11th Initiative.
We’ve recorded over 1,100 September 11th Initiative interviews to-date. Inviting family members, friends, and coworkers to share and record memories of their loved ones offers a meaningful way to memorialize and celebrate the lives that were lost or impacted by the events of September 11th. In September 2008, we were invited to the Pentagon to collect over 30 stories in two days from office staff and family members of the victims of the Pentagon attack.
Three of these stories have been illustrated in video. Continue reading to see all of them.
Always a Family
(YouTube link)
On the morning of September 11th, Michael Trinidad called his ex-wife, Monique Ferrer, from the 103rd floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower to say goodbye. In the wake of his death, Monique tells the story of Michael's lasting legacy—the family they built together.
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She Was the One
(YouTube link)
When Richie Pecorella met Karen Juday, she captured his heart and changed his life. They were engaged and living together in Brooklyn when Karen was killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, where she worked as an administrative assistant. Here, Richie remembers Karen, his love and inspiration.
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John and Joe
(YouTube link)
John Vigiano Sr. is a retired New York City firefighter whose two sons followed him into service—John Jr. was a firefighter, too, and Joe was a police detective. On September 11, 2001, both Vigiano brothers responded to the call from the World Trade Center, and both were killed while saving others. Here, John Sr. remembers his sons and reflects on coping with his tremendous loss.
These three videos were produced by the Rauch Brothers. You can listen to many other survivors sharing stories in their own words at StoryCorps.
I was supposed to be in the air visiting my sister in Jersey... and my sister was a flight attendant. So it hit really really close to home, even though I was blessed not to know anyone who died personally.
Sunday is the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. There's no reason in the universe to call it a "ten-year" anniversary, since an anniversary is a commemoration of the number of years since an event.