September 11th- 10 Years Later

Darryl Heron

September 11th- A Decade Later

• As we approach the 10th Anniversary of September 11th, it is hard to belive that a decade has passed

• Sometimes it seems that it hasn‘t been that long• Sometimes it seems that it has been a whole

different world and life (this is certainly true)• Many people have progressed pretty far in their

healing• Others are scarred for life and might not ever truly

heal

Purpose of this presentation..

• I‘ve put this presenation together as my own tribute and way of reflecting on the tenth anniversary

• Like many other Americans (and other people of the world) I was profoundly effected on this day and feel that we must never forget

• I feel that we should celebrate and honor the lives of the victims and make the world a better place

Project 2996

• I discovered Project 2996 while reseaching a blog post that I was writing in 2007

• Starting with the 5th Anniversary, their goal was to see a tribute for all of the victims hosted online

• I wrote my first tribute for Project 2996 in 2008.• The next few slides are part of my tribute for

2011- The Tenth Anniversary

David W. Laychak

• David was the first person that I wrote a tribute about for Project 2996

• David was a civilian working in the Pentagon and he was a little older than I was at the time of his death.

• David‘s children, Zachary and Jennifer (were 9 and 7 at the time of his death).

• David had been married to Laurie for 13 years at the time of his death

• His brother Jim, has played a big role in the Pentagon Memorial.

• I was fortunate enough to exchange emails with his sister Molly Laychak Walen

• David‘s youngest brother, Mike has kept a lower profile than his other siblings

David W. Laychak continued

• David received Varsity letters for football and baseball (four in total) while attending high school

• He went to Brown University on a football scholarship

• He coached several football teams, including his son’s team

• He was nicknamed bucko while attending college • David‘s favorite meal was meatloaf (his mom must

have made a good one, I‘ve heard that Laurie‘s meatloaf was pretty good too!)

• He was happy when other people were happy• I know that I‘ll never forget this man that I‘ve never

met

Keith Roma

• Keith Roma was 27 and with Fire Patrol• The Fire Patrol wasn’t under the jurisdiction of the

FDNY, but he was called to the World Trade Center and fell under orders of the FDNY then

• His daughter Samantha was seven at the time of his death.

• He died along with nine people that he was trying to save.

• Breaking the 9-11 myth describes efforts to get Keith Roma listed among the official FDNY September 11th victims list

• Fire Patrol’s website has a tribute to Keith Roma along with other fire fighters. There is a nice remix of Arms of the Angels - Sara McLaughlin

Christopher Santora

• Christopher Santora was 23 and part of Engine Company 54

• He was a substitute teacher and even turned down a permanent job at a junior high School to follow in his father’s footsteps as a fire fighter.

• Growing up he played “stickball” and was a Toronto Blue Jays fan

• “P.S. Q222 - Fire Fighter Christopher A. Santora School”, was named after Christopher

• His sister had a struggle to get her son into the school named after her brother

Joseph P. Henry

• Joseph P. Henry was 25 and with Ladder 21 out of Manhattan

• I was drawn to him when I read “I was trapped in building one for an hour. I would not be alive if it weren't for the firemen who unlocked and broke down the doors to the stairwells. I want Joseph's family to know that when the time comes and I get married and have a family, I will name my first born boy after him. He was an amazing person and I will forever keep him and his family in my prayers.” Vanessa Sierra, college classmate

• Julia Corrales (his girlfriend) wrote “Joe Henry worked as a Fireman for only 11 months before he was taken from us on September 11, 2001.”

• Joseph and his girlfriend had planned to go to Ireland on October 19, 2001

Karl Henri Joseph

• Karl Henri Joseph was 25 and working from Brooklyn. He was an EMT.

• His family came to America from Hati, he liked Hati but America was his home (isn‘t this the case for so many that have chased the American Dream from all corners of the world!)

• Michael Beehler, who went through the fire academy with Karl said that “He had a great smile and a great laugh,"

Dana Hannon

• Danna Hannon was 29 and with Engine Co 26 on September 11th

• Feb.3, 2000, he achieved his boyhood dream with his graduation from the New York City Fire Academy

• When he worked for the Bridgeport (Conn.) Fire Department, he was awarded the Medal of Valor, their second-highest award.

• He proposed to Allison Dansen from the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia (what a memorable marriage proposal!)

Project 2996

• „On September 11, 2006, over 3500 volunteer bloggers joined together for a tribute to the

victims of 9/11.“ • „Over the last 10 years we’ve heard the names

of the killers, and all about the victim’s deaths. This is a chance to learn about and celebrate those who died. Forget the murderers, they don’t deserve to be remembered. But some

people who died that day deserve to be remembered–2,996 people. „

• From 2996 @ http://project2996.wordpress.com/2011/04/30/2996/

Gone But Not Forgotten

• Through Project 2996 I‘ve come to know a little bit about the lives of Keith Roma, Christopher Santora, Joseph P. Henry, Karl Henri Joseph, Dana Hannon, and David W Laychak.

• I‘m glad to have had this opportunity and somehow my life is a little bit richer for the experience. As long as memories of you all live on in family, friends, and in the lives that you have touched, you‘ll all never be forgotten

Check out Project 2996

• Why not check out Project 2996?• Read some of the tribute that have been

posted and discover something about the people we lost ten years ago

• There are still many people that are honored with a tribute, so feel free to create your own

• If you don‘t have your own website or blog to host a tribute, I‘d be happy to post it for you at the DC Heron Family Blog. Leave a comment on this year‘s post and I can arrange to post your tribute

Prepare New York

• „New York City –– Six of New York’s most prominent interfaith organizations announced today the formation of a coalition to equip New Yorkers to promote religious pluralism and counter intolerance of religious differences in anticipation of the 10th anniversary of 9/11.“

• The purpose of the coalition is to shift the emphasis from one of fear and mistrust to one that celebrates New York’s extraordinary diversity of religious freedom

and expression.

A Different Kind of Social Network

• You might have heard hear of MySpace and Facebook, well Prepare New York is a different kind of social network

• It is hosted on Ning, which allows you to create your own social network. I‘m a member at a couple of different networks

An Interfaith Effort

• In a newsletter that I received after joining they referred to themselvs as "Prepare New York is a coalition of New York based interfaith organizations.. who are committed to preparing New York City (and the nation) for the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 by promoting civil dialogue, education about religious pluralism, support for the Muslim community, and coordinating events on the day of the anniversary”

• Interfaith this means that Christians, Jews, and Muslims are working together (other groups are welcome to join as well!)

• I‘m filled with hope when I think of what more interfaith projects like this can accomplish

Ribbons of Hope

• One of the projects promoted by Prepare New York is Ribbons of Hope

• According to the web site…“Ribbons of Hope is an interactive, community-created art project designed to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the September 11th attacks by inviting people of all backgrounds, religions, ages and races to tie a ribbon inscribed with a message of hope and healing for New York City.“

• It is just a short walk from Ground Zero, alongside the Gardens of Remembrance in Battery Park

• This event is planned from September 9-12, 2011• http://prepareny.ning.com/ribbons

Check out Prepare New York

• Why not check out Prepare New York and see what you can learn and share.

• There are plenty of activities that they‘ve been promoting and plenty with more on deck. I hope to see you there

Do You Have Pictures That I Can Publish?

• Do you have pictures that I can use in future articles and posts about September 11th of New York, the Pentagon, and of the victims, or anything that can add more visual flare? Please contact me at the DC Heron Family Blog. Leave a comment on this year‘s post

My September 11th Tributes

• My September 11th- 2011 Tribute: http://dcheronfamily.blogspot.com/2011/09/september-11th-10-years-later.html

• Photo „New York 2“ http://www.sxc.hu/photo/140782

Courtesy of Mistereels : http://www.sxc.hu/profile/mistereels

• My post for the 6th Anniversary: http://dcheronfamily.blogspot.com/2007/09/september-eleventh-6-years-later.html

My September 11th Tributes continued

• My post for the 7th Anniversary: http://dcheronfamily.blogspot.com/2008/09/september-11th-seven-years-later.html

• My post for the 8th Anniversary: http://dcheronfamily.blogspot.com/2009/09/september-11th-eight-years-later.html

• My post for the 9th Anniversary: http://dcheronfamily.blogspot.com/2010/09/september-11th-nine-year-later.html

September 11th Resources

• Yahoo! News Coverage: http://news.yahoo.com/september-11-anniversary/

• Flickr- 10th anniversary of 9/11: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1775706@N22/pool/

• Memorial mission after brother's loss: http://news.yahoo.com/memorial-mission-after-brothers-loss.html

• Pentagon 9/11 Memorial slideshow: http://news.yahoo.com/photos/pentagon-memorial-1309389892-slideshow/

• Pentagon Memorial:

http://pentagonmemorial.org/

September 11th Resources continued

• BREAKING THE  9-11 MYTH : http://fdnyemswebsite.com/Page7.html

• 9/11 Living Memorial- Keith Roma: http://www.voicesofseptember11.org/dev/memorial_biography.php?idbio=175184742

• 9/11 Living Memorial- Keith Roma: http://www.voicesofseptember11.org/dev/memorial_biography.php?idbio=1392230489

• Christopher Santora‘s scholarship: http://www.christophersantora.com/

September 11th Resources continued

• CNN Tribute- Joseph P. Henry: http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/memorial/people/2237.html

• Irish Tribute-Joseph Patrick Henry: http://www.irishtribute.com/tributes/view.adp@d=236920&t=245029.html

• Jenn Worl‘s Tribute to Joseph Patrick Hernry: http://home.mchsi.com/~jennworl/911.html

• Tuxedo Cat Grandma‘s Tribute to Karl Henri Joseph: http://tuxedocatgrandma.blogspot.com/2006_09_01_archive.html

• Stupid Trivia‘s tribute to Dana Hannon: http://stupidtrivia.blogspot.com/2006/09/tribute-to-dana-hannon.html

• FDNY 123 Tribute: http://www.fpny123.net/memorial.html

September 11th Resources continued

• CNN September 11Memorial: http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/memorial/

• The Cat Gallery: (lots of interesting information and links) http://www.thecatgallery.com/dedication.html

• LIbrary of Congress September 11, 2001 Documentary Project: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/911_archive/

• Project 2996: http://project2996.wordpress.com/• Prepare New York: http://prepareny.com/• Prepare New York press release March 2011

http://prepareny.ning.com/page/major-coalition-formed-to