The memorial features a 17-foot steel I-beam from the ruins of the World Trade Center complex, along with limestone from the Pentagon.
On Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush ended his Oval Office address on the day’s terrorist attacks by saying “None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.”
Now 16 years later, the quote still found life in the programs handed out at the dedication ceremony for the new “Sept. 11, 2001 NEVER FORGET Memorial” in front of the Mt. Laurel Fire Department Headquarters on Elbo Lane.
A longtime dream of the Mt. Laurel Firefighters Foundation, the memorial became a reality this week when local firefighters, police, first responders, elected officials and other members of the public gathered at the site to listen to recollections and pay tribute to those lost in the 9/11 attacks.
The concept of the memorial dates to 2009, when the department learned the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey planned to release steel artifacts from the World Trade Center for the construction of public memorials.
Mt. Laurel quickly applied for the program, and one year later the department received a 17-foot steel I-beam from the ruins of the World Trade Center complex.
Throughout the following seven years, the Mt. Laurel Fire Fighter’s Foundation raised money to ensure construction of the memorial without the use of taxpayer funds.
Now with the memorial finally complete, Mt. Laurel Fire Department Deputy Chief Todd Evans described the design of the site as one meant to commemorate all aspects of the 9/11 attacks.
Evans said the memorial is meant to reflect American resolve and the nation rising back up after the attacks, so the twisted steel beam is positioned in a rising slant upward, toward the north and toward New York City.
Evans said the beam is also mounted above the ground in such a way visitors can touch it, walk around it and walk under it to get a three-dimensional look to fully understand the energy that went into the steel.
According to Evans, the two square tubes holding the beam in place above the ground are symbolic of the Twin Towers, with a small pentagon-shaped wall holding a rock garden in place to memorialize the attack in Washington, D.C.
The memorial also features a 250-pound piece of limestone from the Pentagon, along with a rock from the United Airlines Flight 93 Memorial in Stonycreek Township, about two miles north of Shanksville, Pa.
Plaques along the memorial also pay tribute to the stories and passengers of American Airlines Flight 11, United Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77 and United Airlines Flight 93.
As cars continued to drive by the memorial during the dedication ceremony this week, Evans made sure to note the passing traffic to the audience.
“It’s exactly its meaning and why it’s here. It’s out there for every day, for everyone who drives by, to see and make sure we never forget,” Evans said.
In addition to comments from members of the department and elected officials, the ceremony also included two personal recollections of the 9/11 attacks, with remarks from former of Morgan Stanley employee David Piereth, who evacuated from the 74th floor of the south tower during the attacks, and retired fire marshal Frank Licausi, who worked for the Fire Department of New York during 9/11 and responded to the attacks that day.
“This was the morning, exactly,” Licausi said as he recalled the attacks of 16 years ago to the crowd under the shining sun and cool September air.
Locals still looking to support the memorial can donate to the site’s maintenance through mail to the Mount Laurel Firefighter’s Foundation, PO Box 1775, Mount Laurel NJ, 08054 or through PayPal at mtlaurelfirefightersfoundation@gmail.com.
