By ZACH LAIRD, InDepthNH.org
DOVER — More than 100 people gathered at the Cocheco Mill Courtyard on Friday to honor the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and commemorate a new memorial to honor the lives lost and the work of first responders.
The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks caused the deaths of 2,996, including the 19 hijackers who committed murder suicide and many more were injured, according to Wikipedia. Hijackers flew the first two planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, another into the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., and another crashed in rural Pennsylvania. There were four people from Dover who were killed.
The area was selected for the memorial site partly because it was where the city first held a 9/11 remembrance ceremony. The memorial was designed by retired Assistant Fire Chief David Hanna and incorporates imagery representing police, fire, military and emergency medical personnel. It was designed as a space to reflect and remember, with an emphasis on educating
future generations, according to former Mayor Bob Carrier.
“These are not just numbers. They represent the number of broken dreams: a number of parents who will never see their children grow up and become adults; the futures that never had a chance to unfold; the life stories that will never be written; and the number of children who will grow up not knowing one – or both — of their parents,” Hanna said.
The memorial has two sides for people to observe — one facing the courtyard, and the other facing the street. Hanna explained the side facing the courtyard represents the facts of the attacks and gives a timeline for each of the planes’ trajectories. The other side, he said, represents the human side of that day and the lives that were lost.
Retired Fire Chief Paul Haas said the memorial was brought to fruition by the hard work of the city’s 9/11 Committee and from the numerous donations from the community.
U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, noted the memorial will stand the test of time as a reminder to everyone, saying that “long after those of us are gone, this memorial will still be here.” She was governor of New Hampshire at that time.
She explained how right after the attacks, she and agency heads determined the best option was to keep state operations running and said New Hampshire was the only state in New England to do so. She said they did so “because we said we are not going to be shut down by any terrorists who want to change the way we do business in the United States.”
“We need to tell the next generation how we came together as a community, and as a nation (and) make sure that 25 years from now, not only Dover, but the rest of the nation still remembers, and the world remembers it, and we are a stronger nation because of it,” Shaheen said.
U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-NH, said while we experienced great evil that day, we also experienced America at its best in response to what happened. She cited the work of all the first responders and the occupants of flight 93 who “chose not to surrender to despair.”
Hassan continued that we cannot bring back those we’ve lost, but that we can “become their legacy by living our lives with purpose and meaning.” She said time cannot heal all the pain and wounds for the families of the victims, but “we can each do our part to work together, listen to each other, and heal the wounds of our country.”
Steven Kanarian, a retired lieutenant in the New York Fire Department responded to both attacks on the World Trade Center, and recalled the long days spent helping people and searching for others immediately following 9/11.
He told the crowd when they come to the memorial with their families, children, and grandchildren to remember the individuals who lost their lives and “live through them,” and that he hopes future generations will look on proudly at the memorial.
Mayor Dennis Shanahan said we mark the 25th anniversary of that dark day in the nation’s history, but added that, “We also remember the light in the darkness of that day.”
“Like the people of this community and this nation, the memorial continues to stand tall, and remains unbowed by the elements it may be subjected to. 25 years from now — possibly 250 years — from now, residents and visitors will look to the memorial, and learn about the events of 9/11. And they will see reflected in the stone, a resilient city and an enduring nation. A nation that stands tall, upheld by the strengths of unity and community,” Shanahan said.