FDNY May We Never Forget

 

FDNY - The Brave

September 11, 2001

World Trade Center

10 Years Later ...

On the tenth anniversary of 9/11 attacks of the World Trade Center, The Pentagon, and the thwarted attack that ended in a field in Pennsylvania, America once again saw images from that terrible day as they watched the television specials, viewed images and videos online, or attended ceremonies across the country.

We too watched once again.  In some cases, we had not seen the footage before since we had been in Paris on a cruise at the time of the attacks.   We didn't see the events live in 2001, but did watch CNN when we returned to the ship.  The majority of passengers with us were from New York since the Trans-Atlantic cruise we were on was scheduled to return to New York.

  

These images are from an album, Visiting Ground Zero, which we have posted on our Facebook Fan page from a visit to New York prior to a cruise to Bermuda in 2008.

They are part of a tribute "FDNY Memorial Wall" at the  Ladder Company 10 fire station which is just across from where the World Trade Center once stood.   These firefighters were among the first responders that day.

We can only imagine what thoughts went through their minds as they looked up at the World Trade Center towers which were ablaze.   Debris was falling all around them as they headed inside the building to attempt to extinguish the blaze and save the lives of people trapped in the towers.    

There were several events this past week to honor the 343 FDNY members killed on Sept. 11, 2001, as well as the 57 who have died in the past decade due to World Trade Center-related illnesses.  For more information on these events, see The Official Fire Department, City of New York website.

Our sympathy goes to the families of the fallen FDNY members.

We suggest adding a pre-cruise stay in New York should your plans find you departing from one of the New York ports.  It is easy to get around New York by public transportation.   If you have not been to Ground Zero before, we suggest you consider that in your plans.