THE STORY BEHIND THE RAISING OF THIS FLAG ON 9-11-2001
and THE TEAR DROP MEMORIAL
Three firefighters, William Eisengrein, George Johnson and Daniel McWilliams, had discovered a US flag on the back of a yacht inside a boat slip at the World Financial Center. They took the banner and decided to raise it as a statement of loyalty and resilience.
McWilliams, took the flag and its pole from the stern and rolled it up so it would not touch the ground. The Old Glory itself was American made, originating from Eder Flag Manufacturing of Oakcreek, Wisconsin.
The firefighters found a flagpole within rubble about 20 feet off the ground on West Street. They used a improvised ramp to climb to the pole to raise the flag.
The photo of the three firefighters raising that flag in a show of fortitude and respect, against a backdrop of unfathomable devastation, has become one of the most identifiable images taken on September 11, 2001. The image has been compared to a previous iconic photo of six U.S. Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945.
9-11 TEAR DROP MEMORIAL
by Mary Lou Cagle, Contributing Editor for The Bright Side
Time does not stop – 23 years have passed this September 11, 2024, 8:46 a.m. when Islamist Terrorist suicide attacks were carried out by mastermind Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda against the United States of America.
One hundred and two (102) countries lost loved ones in this attack. Children of the victims are now adults. Parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, relatives and friends, in many cases, have passed on. Could their tears be measured? No, they left this world with an indescribable hole in their heart.
The number of tears shed and continue to be shed over the 9-11 attack cannot be measured. Currently over 1,000 memorials to the victims of 9-11 exist not only in New York but throughout the United States and the World.
A little-known memorial is the Tear Drop Memorial dedicated “To the Struggle Against World Terrorism.” It is regarded as the symbol of weeping, grief and renewed life.
This memorial was a gift to New York by Russia on September 11, 2006 as a symbol of international solidarity. The massive tear drop hanging between two jagged edges is a poignant reminder of the heartache caused by terrorism, and for those standing in the right spot, the memorial creates the illusion of the twin towers, standing just across the river in Manhattan. Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli walked the streets of Moscow and observed the outpouring of grief and in his mind a tear was formed.
The memorial is made of steel sheathed in bronze. Standing 100 feet high, its center contains a jagged tear. In it, hangs a 40-foot tall stainless steel tear drop representing sadness and grief over the loss of life, but also hope for the future.
By day, or nighttime when it is lit, the Memorial is clearly visible from lower Manhattan, the Staten Island Ferry, ships passing through New York Harbor and airplanes approaching Newark Airport.
This memorial is located in the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor New Jersey. Bayonne was a fitting location as the city was an arrival point for many New York City evacuees on 911, a staging area for rescuers and offered a direct view of the Statue of Liberty and the former World Trade Center towers.