A small hand was one of many to touch the steel beams from Ground Zero which make up part of the 9/11 First Responders Memorial unveiled in the Vista yesterday, just outside the convention center in Columbia, SC.
Sunday afternoon we drove up to Columbia for the unveiling of the memorial my son and Memorial Designs has been working on so hard this week. The tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks was a somber day broke up by the adorable view in my backseat of 6-year old Eva reading the paper during our lengthy drive. Children! They sure do sweeten life, don't they?.....
The sun was vicious. The crowd, quiet. The military, first responders, police -- all given hushed reverence.
Programs and flags passed around. Firetrucks and military equipment on display. Blistering heat without a breeze.
Quiet, wonderful music played oh so softly. And then I noticed one song playing -- "It Is Well." Wow.
The Governor, the Mayor and several honored guests took the platform. Speeches alternated with flag demonstrations, fly-overs, memorial unveiling, a 21-gun salute, mega balloon release, Taps and a Scottish rendition of Amazing Grace.
The security was a somber reminder of what brought us here and the threat that underlies so much of our public activities since the 9/11 attacks.
Will and Tommy (my son) worked a few 12 hour days this week with the rest of the crew from Memorial Designs finishing up the memorial. They looked tired, but happy.
We enjoyed hearing the guys tell us about the work involved in creating the memorial, all the symbols and meanings of each little part.
Congressman Joe Wilson talked with Ron Clamp after the event.
And most of the Memorial Design crew got in the picture with Governor Nikki Haley.
As the event concluded and the boys thought it was time to rest, Clamp handed them the keys saying, "OK, now it's time to get the truck back to the shop and unload everything."
Probably not exactly what the boys wanted to hear at that point.
Big thanks to Memorial Design and all the Sponsors listed here that helped to provide this memorial to our first responders. Click here if you'd like to donate. Big thanks to all the first responders everywhere and lots of love and prayers to the families who lost people they love on September 11, 2001.
Read more about their work on the 9/11 Memorial here.
Interview with Memorial Designs' Ron Clamp and Tommy Sliker.
Read about Memorial Design's work on the Hootie and the Blowfish Monument.
2 comments:
Wish we could have been part of that service, I cry every time I think of the lives lost in this senseless attack. So proud of my grandson who worked so hard to build this Memorial as well as all the men who worked on it I know it will mean so much to those that lost their loved ones. Why why why is there so much hate in this old world when God loves us more than we could ever comprehend, take time every day to thank Him!
Great job,Tommy,and Will!!
U will never forget this.
A.Lisa
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