911 Monument Dedicated On Fort Lauderdale's Riverwalk
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - Nineteen years after the September 11th attacks, on Friday, Fort Lauderdale officials dedicated a new monument at the Riverwalk to honor those who lost their lives.
So many stories of heroism and sacrifice have come to light, and there are more still being revealed and shared.
"Out of the deep pain and suffering of 9/11 came uplifting stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things," said Mayor Dean Trantalis."
"What's not very well known is all the drama that took place underground," said Patrick Harris, COO of the Riverwalk Trust.
After picking up the last passengers on September 11, 2001 at 9:10 a.m., the station under the World Trade Center was empty and then buried under the rubble of the collapsed towers.
"The rail you see today is from that World Trade Center station," said Harris. "It took crews a week over of digging to reach it."
That piece of history is now forever a part of Fort Lauderdale.
"So when asked why did Riverwalk request this piece? One of the answers I like to give is history," said Harris. "If you don't know where you come from, you don't know where you are going."
It's hard to believe that high school students who graduated this year weren't even born when the towers fell. Those of us who lived through that day will never forget.
Harris called the monument an opportunity to reflect but also provide future reachable moments.
"There were countless more heroic acts," said Mayor Trantalis. "What binds them all together is the common thread of human kindness."
On this day remembering 9/11 in Fort Lauderdale, three rings of a bell signify not death, but faith.
