“For a few months after that, on the 11th of each month, people gathered with Ray at the wall to listen to music, sing and remember. After a few months, very few people came,” said Tina Gray, a member of the 9/11 Memorial Committee. “As the first anniversary approached, a group of us decided we couldn't let it die, so we created the Brooklyn/Bedford Park 9/11 Memorial Committee.”
In the wake of that day’s devastation, the nation has found itself preoccupied in the passing years by the loss of jobs and wages. But the 9/11 Memorial Committee has not stopped honoring local fire fighters, the 61st Precinct, EMS 43, the First Responders, and family members still struggling with their losses, with plaques, The Flag of Honor and Flag of Heroes, and a book Portraits containing the names of all the victims of 9/11 with synopses of their lives.The Committee continues to let them know that they are remembered for all they've been through.
“They need to know that we appreciate what they do every day because they are still putting themselves in harm’s way for us,” said Gray.
Committee Member Mary Dwyer is one of the many who lost a loved one to the tragedy of 9/11. Her older sister, Lucy Fishman, did not make it out from the 105th Floor of the south tower on that Tuesday morning. To her, Mary annually dedicates Tom Chelston’s “Since September” in her memory. This year’s memorial welcomed Chelston’s presence when he came to sing and provide CDs for the firefighters and police officers in attendance.
The Bill Brown Park Memorial, Gray said, has become the people’s memorial. A 9/11 survivor came to speak this year, for the first and only time in eight years, of her harrowing experience and pain.
“It's amazing to think that just a group of regular people can make such a difference,” said Gray.
The 9/11 Memorial Committee is truly responsible for difference, even if a small part, and for preserving a memory and truth that becomes hazy in passing years. Though we move on with life, the anger and frustration, the sadness of loss and devastation can not be ignored. Or else, we risk losing that which stands to unite and fuel the light which keeps us moving forward.
“First responders and volunteers from the rescue and recovery effort are being diagnosed with horrible illnesses every day,” Gray said. “People who survived are suffering from PTSD and families were ripped apart. I thinkas long as people who remember the Trade Center -- and that day in general -- are alive, it won't be easily forgotten.”
