Something To Share With You....The September 11th Memorial ( Archived) (8)

This past Saturday I went to see the Memorial Pools where the Twin Towers once stood. It was extremely sad and very quiet there.

The pools were built on the footprints of the original Twin Towers that stood there for so many years. All the names of those who died on that day whether in the Towers, The Pentagon, a field in Pennsylvania, police, firemen and EMS are engraved on the marble edges around each Memorial.

All four sides of each pool has water running down the side which is then recirculated.

In order to keep the area from being overcrowded you need to make a reservation in advance of the date you want to go there. There is no charge.

Security is very heavy. First you go through a metal detector. Each person's reservation has a scanning bar on it. They scan it several times before you even get into the area and scan it again when you leave. Scanning it when you leave is for two reasons: One to see how long you stayed there and two, to make sure no one is hiding in there.

I had a hard time holding my emotions back. I did find it comforting to rub my hand over names like Jeremy Glick who organized the passengers on the flight to rush the pilot that was trying to fly the plane into Washington. He was successful in diverting it to a field in Pennsylvania.

I plan to go back when the Memorial Museum is finished which should be later on this year.

I can't imagine what it's like for someone who lost a loved one that day to go there and see that person's name engraved in the marble edges...

That level of security is poinent on a couple of levels, eh?

I am able to view that video (here in the UK). What a lovely memorial feature.

I just have a hard time with the treating everyone as a criminal just to go see something. It's gotten out of hand.

Hunter - it is not just the murderous act that was, it is also the threat there is currently and would-be threats. The world is a different place now and we too here in the UK are on moderate to high alert. There is no excuse for complacency and letting the guard down even years after terrorists events.

So what your saying is you don't mind being treated as though you are a potential criminal/terrist because it's better to be safe than to have the freedom to move about and enjoy something.

That's why I don't fly or use public trans or go to concerts and such. too much hassle for me.

But to each their own.