Twisted steel girders perched on the banks of the River Avon in Christchurch, New Zealand. A small marble marker outside the courthouse in Newark, Ohio. A statue of a dog in downtown Atlanta.
Across this country and around the world, reminders stand of the horrific Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Some are large; others are small. All are worth scouting out and visiting.
A quarter of a century later, anyone who was alive on that terrible day remembers where they were. It sounds cliché, but time stood still; it seemed surreal.
On a clear blue morning, how could such a tragedy happen?
The physical scars remain in New York City, Washington, and Pennsylvania. The emotional ones remain in communities across this country and the globe, some with a direct connection to the tragedies, others without.
Direct connection or not, the tributes haven’t stopped.
So many years later, monuments like First Responders Park Memorial in Hilliard, Ohio, stand as a stark reminder of that day. The memorial, said to be one of the largest Sept. 11 memorials of its kind, features twisted pieces of structural steel and a section of subway rail retrieved directly from Ground Zero in New York City.
Some days it might seem like the world has moved on or forgotten. But a few minutes at a memorial like Postcards in Staten Island, New York, or Empty Sky in Jersey City, New Jersey, both of which are set against the backdrop of the former Twin Towers, are a powerful reminder that we must never forget.
Sept. 11, 2001, memorials are a poignant reminder of a terrible day and a moment when the country stood together. Make it a point to explore one — large or small — on the next escapade.
Exploring one on a day other than Sept. 11 will help keep the memory of the day — and the promise to never forget — alive.
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