On Sept. 11, 2001, 343 firefighters lost their lives in the collapse of the World Trade Center in New York.
Tomorrow, on the sixth anniversary of the terrorist attacks, a memorial to all fallen firefighters will be unveiled at the Statehouse.
The 6 p.m. dedication is just one of many events taking place across the state and on the Cape tomorrow to honor all those who were killed on Sept. 11.
- At 7:30 a.m., there will be a wreath-laying ceremony in the Boston Public Gardens.
- At 8:30 a.m., there will be a moment of silence and reading of names on the Statehouse lawn.
- At 8:30 a.m., Battleship Cove will conduct a remembrance ceremony at the Sept. 11 memorial site in Fall River. Fire and police personnel will gather on the USS Massachusetts to lay a wreath and offer a 21-gun salute.
- At 9:45 a.m., there will be a short tribute to the lost firefighters at the Barnstable Fire Station, 3249 Main St. (Route 6A).
- At 9:55 a.m., firefighters will gather in front of the Harwich Fire Station, 175 Sisson Road, to pay tribute to those who were lost.
- At 10 a.m., West Barnstable firefighters will hold a brief tribute in front of the station.
- At 10 a.m., Hyannis firefighters will host a 50-minute memorial service on the station's front lawn, 95 High School Road Extension.
- At noon, a gathering will take place on the Falmouth Village Green to say thank you to Coast Guard and local emergency workers.
- At 7 p.m., the Cape Cod Interfaith Coalition will hold a service in the lower school gymnasium of Cape Cod Academy, 50 Osterville-West Barnstable Road, Osterville.
Furnished by the Cape Cod Times.
William K. Mahler
(Former PFC, MA National Guard Cook & US Army Airborne Infantry Trainee)
http://www.mahlers.com
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As a New Yorker who saw the smoke and smelled the awful stench for days after 9/11, I grieved for all the hero's and everyday folk who perished that day. But six years have passed and while I still feel we should remember what happened and think of those who died, I have to say I feel the commemoration ceremonies should end. They seem less like tributes and more like opportunity for... I don't know what. It just seems wrong to me that the city should shut down as it does every year and that the names should again be read. It's time to let go and move on. Am I the only one who feels this way? A moment of silence, a patriotic song, perhaps, and onward. Let those poor souls rest in peace.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]magicalfreddiemercury wrote: [/QUOTENAME]As a New Yorker who saw the smoke and smelled the awful stench for days after 9/11, I grieved for all the hero's and everyday folk who perished that day. But six years have passed and while I still feel we should remember what happened and think of those who died, I have to say I feel the commemoration ceremonies should end. They seem less like tributes and more like opportunity for... I don't know what. It just seems wrong to me that the city should shut down as it does every year and that the names should again be read. It's time to let go and move on. Am I the only one who feels this way? A moment of silence, a patriotic song, perhaps, and onward. Let those poor souls rest in peace.
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Thank you for sharing, my prayers are with ya New Yorkers, Pennsy's and DC'ers.
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Thank you for sharing, my prayers are with ya New Yorkers, Pennsy's and DC'ers.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]magicalfreddiemercury wrote: [/QUOTENAME]As a New Yorker who saw the smoke and smelled the awful stench for days after 9/11, I grieved for all the hero's and everyday folk who perished that day. But six years have passed and while I still feel we should remember what happened and think of those who died, I have to say I feel the commemoration ceremonies should end. They seem less like tributes and more like opportunity for... I don't know what. It just seems wrong to me that the city should shut down as it does every year and that the names should again be read. It's time to let go and move on. Am I the only one who feels this way? A moment of silence, a patriotic song, perhaps, and onward. Let those poor souls rest in peace.
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i agree. honestly? for those who have experienced this and/or witnessed it will never forget, so why perpetuate it? its an event that is a part of our cultures major change, and it WONT be forgotten. pearl harbor happened years ago. noone has forgotten, it was devestating, but we have moved on, and this is the case as well.
im glad im not the only one who feels this way. i dont believe it makes us any less patriotic if we think the way we do.
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i agree. honestly? for those who have experienced this and/or witnessed it will never forget, so why perpetuate it? its an event that is a part of our cultures major change, and it WONT be forgotten. pearl harbor happened years ago. noone has forgotten, it was devestating, but we have moved on, and this is the case as well.
im glad im not the only one who feels this way. i dont believe it makes us any less patriotic if we think the way we do.
I will say this with a huge respect for all of the people who fought and died on 9/11.
I have always tought that the US has made a way too much deal of the 9/11, I think there are farther more terrible events that happend everyday in the world, and to focus so much on the 9/11 attacks is selfish by the US.
keep in mind, this is a point of view from someone outside the US, and I dont intend to insult anyone, just to express my thoughts.
I have always tought that the US has made a way too much deal of the 9/11, I think there are farther more terrible events that happend everyday in the world, and to focus so much on the 9/11 attacks is selfish by the US.
keep in mind, this is a point of view from someone outside the US, and I dont intend to insult anyone, just to express my thoughts.
Man... it's not about the scale of the event. You can't look at September 11 and say 'holy shit that terrorist attack was peanuts compared to Hiroshima or Dresden'. It was a pretty fucked up thing and pretty much anyone with a TV got to see it happen live... that can make one huge fucking impact on a society.
Having said that : I think there should be commemorations, but not quite like this.
Having said that : I think there should be commemorations, but not quite like this.
I saw on TV last night that the Today show is running a live re-broadcast of the show that they were doing on 9-11-01. They kept the show on the air all day long that day because of what was happening.
My only question is why? Is there a reason you should put everyone through that again? The people who lost loved ones on that day I'm sure have not forgotten about what happened, and probably re-live that day all of the time in their heads. I'm sure that showing them exactly how the rest of the world saw it that day is really going to help them move on.
The endless tributes should probably end...we stopped holding commemorative ceremonies on the campus two years ago. Of course, maybe if they actually got the damn memorial up it would be easier to stop holding the annual ceremonies because people could just go there and remember things whenever they want in their own private way. But they are spending far too much time arguing about what the memorial should be, who should build it, what should it look like, etc. At this rate, it will be a miracle if the thing ever gets built at all.
The selfishness of America comment....possibly. That's true that many more people have died in many more horrible ways. But I'd like to know exactly what you have in mind, just for clarification. Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Japan was at war, and therefore the country was at least aware that attacks on it could occur? The British who died in the Blitz? Again, country at war. Darfur? Civil war; in the context of war people are at least aware that the possibility is there that they or their country will be attacked...that is the definition of war at any rate. 9-11 was different because the US was NOT at war. Any country where 3,000+ died in a single day during PEACE TIME would be making a huge deal out of it, especially when it has such huge ramifications for the rest of the world. Also keep in mind that the US has been incredibly lucky in the past...the only other attack we'd had on US soil since the founding of the country was Pearl Harbor, which was again on a war context. Our history as a country is very short...we don't have the benefit of hundreds of years worth of unprovoked attacks to desensitize us to it.
Just as all people will always remember tragedies in their country (Concentration Camps, The Blitz, Civil War, etc.) we will always remember 9-11 because it was not only a horrible event; it was an event that marked a turning point not only in the country but in the world.
My only question is why? Is there a reason you should put everyone through that again? The people who lost loved ones on that day I'm sure have not forgotten about what happened, and probably re-live that day all of the time in their heads. I'm sure that showing them exactly how the rest of the world saw it that day is really going to help them move on.
The endless tributes should probably end...we stopped holding commemorative ceremonies on the campus two years ago. Of course, maybe if they actually got the damn memorial up it would be easier to stop holding the annual ceremonies because people could just go there and remember things whenever they want in their own private way. But they are spending far too much time arguing about what the memorial should be, who should build it, what should it look like, etc. At this rate, it will be a miracle if the thing ever gets built at all.
The selfishness of America comment....possibly. That's true that many more people have died in many more horrible ways. But I'd like to know exactly what you have in mind, just for clarification. Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Japan was at war, and therefore the country was at least aware that attacks on it could occur? The British who died in the Blitz? Again, country at war. Darfur? Civil war; in the context of war people are at least aware that the possibility is there that they or their country will be attacked...that is the definition of war at any rate. 9-11 was different because the US was NOT at war. Any country where 3,000+ died in a single day during PEACE TIME would be making a huge deal out of it, especially when it has such huge ramifications for the rest of the world. Also keep in mind that the US has been incredibly lucky in the past...the only other attack we'd had on US soil since the founding of the country was Pearl Harbor, which was again on a war context. Our history as a country is very short...we don't have the benefit of hundreds of years worth of unprovoked attacks to desensitize us to it.
Just as all people will always remember tragedies in their country (Concentration Camps, The Blitz, Civil War, etc.) we will always remember 9-11 because it was not only a horrible event; it was an event that marked a turning point not only in the country but in the world.
"But I'd like to know exactly what you have in mind, just for clarification. Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Japan was at war, and therefore the country was at least aware that attacks on it could occur? The British who died in the Blitz? Again, country at war."
To me, it's all bunkum.... people shouldn't be dying in circumstances like that, whether war was officially declared by a bunch of ball-suckers in an office somewhere or not.
To me, it's all bunkum.... people shouldn't be dying in circumstances like that, whether war was officially declared by a bunch of ball-suckers in an office somewhere or not.
Reminds me of CNN last year. They re-broadcasted the whole damn thing on 9/11/06...in real time.
One reason why it is commemorated to such a scale is due to propaganda.
It’s a method employed by the government to remind its people why they are still fighting a war. It taps in to the immediate anger and backlash that was felt at the time.
My heart goes out to the families.
It’s a method employed by the government to remind its people why they are still fighting a war. It taps in to the immediate anger and backlash that was felt at the time.
My heart goes out to the families.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]<b><font color="#FF1493">The Fairy King wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Reminds me of CNN last year. They re-broadcasted the whole damn thing on 9/11/06...in real time. [/QUOTE]
That's almost a bit sick.
That's almost a bit sick.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]pow wow wrote: [/QUOTENAME]One reason why it is commemorated to such a scale is due to propaganda.
It’s a method employed by the government to remind its people why they are still fighting a war. It taps in to the immediate anger and backlash that was felt at the time.
My heart goes out to the families.
[/QUOTE]
What I want to know is why aren't these families storming the White House demanding answers to the questions we're all asking? What are we doing to keep this country safe? When/how will the world be a safer place? What does Iraq have to do with 9/11? Why did we tear up that country and destroy all of those people - Iraqi civilian and international military - when they had nothing to do with the horror of 9/11? Why is Bin Laden still able to put out new videos? How is it that that man can speak properly while the "most powerful man in the world" sounds like an idiot every time he opens his mouth?
Why is outrage not expressed on this day? THAT's what I want to know.
It’s a method employed by the government to remind its people why they are still fighting a war. It taps in to the immediate anger and backlash that was felt at the time.
My heart goes out to the families.
[/QUOTE]
What I want to know is why aren't these families storming the White House demanding answers to the questions we're all asking? What are we doing to keep this country safe? When/how will the world be a safer place? What does Iraq have to do with 9/11? Why did we tear up that country and destroy all of those people - Iraqi civilian and international military - when they had nothing to do with the horror of 9/11? Why is Bin Laden still able to put out new videos? How is it that that man can speak properly while the "most powerful man in the world" sounds like an idiot every time he opens his mouth?
Why is outrage not expressed on this day? THAT's what I want to know.
It's time for people to get over it, and by people I mean the average folk who was not affected by 9/11 by other than by the emotional shock of the moment.
I do acknowledge that those who were directly affected deserve a time of grief and remembrance, but everybody else should be thankful that they didn't lose a loved one and stop whining like they were actual victims of 9/11 and move on with their lives. I think it's pathetic that there are still people with those 9/11 bumper stickers even though they don't know a single person who died during 9/11. It's a phony attitude of those who follow the crowd in order to get noticed. Just like those wiseguys I constantly see wearing NYFD shirts, but before 9/11 they couldn't give two shits about Firefighters risking their lives to save people. It just became trendy to show their "support".
Even more pathetic are those yellow ribbons on people's cars, which do absolutely nothing to help the troops. It's sad that patriotism because a the biggest car trend since those Garfield plush dolls sticking on people's windows during the 80s.
Besides, there have been far worse tragedies than 9/11 through out recent history. It happens to be that 9/11 was the most media exposed tragedy ever, and all the attention seekers want a piece of it. Some call it patriotism, I call it fashion. If we were to remember every single recent tragedy, we'd have a remembrance day just about every single day of the year.
I know I'm opening a can of worms here, but it's just what I consider to be the sad truth.
I do acknowledge that those who were directly affected deserve a time of grief and remembrance, but everybody else should be thankful that they didn't lose a loved one and stop whining like they were actual victims of 9/11 and move on with their lives. I think it's pathetic that there are still people with those 9/11 bumper stickers even though they don't know a single person who died during 9/11. It's a phony attitude of those who follow the crowd in order to get noticed. Just like those wiseguys I constantly see wearing NYFD shirts, but before 9/11 they couldn't give two shits about Firefighters risking their lives to save people. It just became trendy to show their "support".
Even more pathetic are those yellow ribbons on people's cars, which do absolutely nothing to help the troops. It's sad that patriotism because a the biggest car trend since those Garfield plush dolls sticking on people's windows during the 80s.
Besides, there have been far worse tragedies than 9/11 through out recent history. It happens to be that 9/11 was the most media exposed tragedy ever, and all the attention seekers want a piece of it. Some call it patriotism, I call it fashion. If we were to remember every single recent tragedy, we'd have a remembrance day just about every single day of the year.
I know I'm opening a can of worms here, but it's just what I consider to be the sad truth.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Zebonka12 wrote: [/QUOTENAME]"But I'd like to know exactly what you have in mind, just for clarification. Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Japan was at war, and therefore the country was at least aware that attacks on it could occur? The British who died in the Blitz? Again, country at war."
To me, it's all bunkum.... people shouldn't be dying in circumstances like that, whether war was officially declared by a bunch of ball-suckers in an office somewhere or not. [/QUOTE]
Indeed. War is a terrible thing. However, the unfortunate thing is that we shall NEVER be able to get rid of war. As long as there are at least two people on the planet with two conflicting ideologies about anything, war is inevitable. Humans will never progress far enough to look past these things. Because of this, wars will always happen, and people will always need to be aware that when their country is at war their safety is potentially at risk.
It's sad and shouldn't be that way, I agree. But unfortunately that's reality.
To me, it's all bunkum.... people shouldn't be dying in circumstances like that, whether war was officially declared by a bunch of ball-suckers in an office somewhere or not. [/QUOTE]
Indeed. War is a terrible thing. However, the unfortunate thing is that we shall NEVER be able to get rid of war. As long as there are at least two people on the planet with two conflicting ideologies about anything, war is inevitable. Humans will never progress far enough to look past these things. Because of this, wars will always happen, and people will always need to be aware that when their country is at war their safety is potentially at risk.
It's sad and shouldn't be that way, I agree. But unfortunately that's reality.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]pow wow wrote: [/QUOTENAME]One reason why it is commemorated to such a scale is due to propaganda.
It’s a method employed by the government to remind its people why they are still fighting a war. It taps in to the immediate anger and backlash that was felt at the time.
My heart goes out to the families.
[/QUOTE]
The real question is this: Is it even possible to commemorate 9/11 without being accused of propaganda? I think it's sad that this is the first and most immediate thought to many people. Of course, I was never one to have any real problems with distrust of the government, but this is kind of ridiculous.
I have to say, rerunning broadcasts is a bit silly, but to have a commemoration ceremony is in no way out of line.
Things are commemorated not because they are forgotten or in danger of being forgotten. They are commemorated because they are still present and significant to a great many people.
We are in an age where Islamic terrorism is common. I mean, in recent decades, it has been common - but for the first time it has effected our nation on such a large scale. I figure that until this threat is eliminated (i.e. like Nazis, Russians, Japanese, or...Carthaginians), we will continue to have certain remembrances and such.
It’s a method employed by the government to remind its people why they are still fighting a war. It taps in to the immediate anger and backlash that was felt at the time.
My heart goes out to the families.
[/QUOTE]
The real question is this: Is it even possible to commemorate 9/11 without being accused of propaganda? I think it's sad that this is the first and most immediate thought to many people. Of course, I was never one to have any real problems with distrust of the government, but this is kind of ridiculous.
I have to say, rerunning broadcasts is a bit silly, but to have a commemoration ceremony is in no way out of line.
Things are commemorated not because they are forgotten or in danger of being forgotten. They are commemorated because they are still present and significant to a great many people.
We are in an age where Islamic terrorism is common. I mean, in recent decades, it has been common - but for the first time it has effected our nation on such a large scale. I figure that until this threat is eliminated (i.e. like Nazis, Russians, Japanese, or...Carthaginians), we will continue to have certain remembrances and such.