Pieces of the past
Artifacts from the 9/11 terrorist attacks are spread throughout the world, including around the Philly region.![](https://www.inquirer.com/resizer/EW4nWpHna7pjFUT-EXsxpYA8U6c=/fit-in/1250x1250/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/YFR565VXXBHVVFMTIDGZ4IKZLI.jpg)
After Sept. 11, 2001, thousands of rusted pieces of twisted steel from the Twin Towers, damaged emergency vehicles, signs, clothing and other relics were disseminated to all 50 states and to the far reaches of the world. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey began a program to distribute them to more than 2,000 fire and police departments, museums, municipalities and organizations to remember the nearly 3,000 people who died that day.
There are 154 artifact pieces in New Jersey towns, 82 in Pennsylvania. In the weeks leading up to Sept. 11 this year, we visited some of those towns and spoke with the people who live there.
Shanksville, Pa.
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“There’s obviously been a lot of dramatic moments in the past few years. I will say that the Shanksville area and the cabin, it represents to me a period of time in my life before things got real, before the harsh realities of adulthood came into play. Those trips we used to take up to the cabin before my grandfather passed away were some of the greatest of my life.”
— Dan Wolf, 33
Lehigh Valley International Airport
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“I’m proud of what I do. Because if we would’ve had some of these things in place maybe that might not have happened. I can’t guarantee that, but I wish it was like that back then. ... Most of the people like what we do. Some — maybe 1% — get upset. Most people look at the bigger picture. If I’m getting on a plane with my family, I want everything done that needs to be done.”
— Hector Rivera Jr., 47
Haddon Township, N.J.
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“I put the flag up during the Trump and Biden elections to support America. Keep it strong. It wasn’t political, just something that stands for the country. Then of course if you stand for the country and you have beliefs, then it is political because you want to choose the president that is gonna protect us the most.”
— Emily Stout
Absecon, N.J.
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“...The next day [after 9/11] everyone was blaming [Osama] bin Laden. We knew it was terrorists. We heard on the news some Muslims here were attacked. Some Sikh people were attacked because they looked like bin Laden. … If you see a picture of him, he has a long beard and he has a turban. One of our friends, he is Sikh, he got attacked. They are not Muslim, but they have the same attire.
“A lot of my neighbors — my white American and Black friends — they called me and all said, ‘If you have any concern about safety, come to my house.’ That was very nice of them. But I did not have any concerns.” — Amjad Rehman
“They called me brutal names, try to attack me. But the teacher would stand there and listen and let it go. Unfortunately, a lot of teachers felt the same sentiment as the students felt. They’re like, ‘Yeah, this Muslim kid, their families are all terrorists. They probably support terrorism.’”
“But now I notice with social media … people are sharing more, so people are getting the message. Back then, people would learn from what their parents say. Now with technology, everyone is getting the knowledge firsthand. That’s how it should be. I am very optimistic that the world is heading to a better place.”
— Ali Rehman
Mantua, N.J.
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“When we came into our church facility for the first time it was Sunday, Sept. 2, 2001. We didn't realize God was kind of opening the door for us to be the new church on the block, that would be open when people were in need because of the trauma and experience of 9/11. That first Sunday after 9/11, we had 200 people come. People see that people’s life as they know it is interrupted, their reality is interrupted, and for the first time they’re looking outside themselves for help. And in this situation they were calling out to God for help.”
— Pastor Phil Moser
Coatesville, Pa.
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“You got Lukens Steel right here. They made all the steel. The mill still runs us. It runs Coatesville.”
— Waleah Britt, 39
King of Prussia
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“I was listening to NPR, driving in my car from my parents’ [in York County] back to Philly, and I literally cried in the car. I just bawled my eyes out by myself in my car, listening to the voice messages the people on the plane [Flight 93] left for their loved ones.”
— Kaitlyn Buckley
“Having a lot of my immediate family living in North Jersey, it’s hard. It’s still something you think about and get emotional about, even to this day.
— Shawn Harrison
“When we first moved into the place that we live in at the moment, carved into our door, but it’s painted over, it said ‘Remember 9/11′ and it has the Twin Towers.
— Buckley
“We see it every day. We think about it every day. We pray for the people. Our thoughts and prayers are with all people. Black, white, Spanish, Jewish, Christian, Muslim. All lives were lost.” — Harrison
Medford Lakes, N.J.
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“America’s response [after 9/11] was pretty good. I’ve traveled around the world, and I tend to be more of a positive person. For me it’s pretty negative energy, so I don’t worry.”
— Dan Kiernan, 54
“I worry! It's normal to me now, the lines and everything. I’m a worrier, so I definitely think about things like safety on planes. It definitely comes to mind when I get on a plane, because we’re taught from when we’re very little about 9/11. So you never know what’s gonna happen and there will always be people that are unhappy in the world.” — Sydney Kiernan, 16
Atlantic City, N.J.
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“I salute the flag. it’s a thing I do. Who doesn’t?”
— Tom Harris
Brooklawn, N.J.
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“We just moved here. My brother is in the Coast Guard, so this shows my support. The flagpole was here, and that was one of the reasons I bought the house. And we’ll leave it up as long as I live here. I don’t see the flag as political. I just love this country.”
— Miles Jesuncosky
Berwick, Pa.
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“My husband and I were in the Merchant Marine. We traveled around the world. Met in Guam, but now we’re back in his small town. We sailed past the site [World Trade Center] all the time. We both went to school [the United States Merchant Marine Academy] on Long Island, and our school was very instrumental in the aid. And there were many Merchant Marine tugboats and passenger vessels that helped in the rescue and recovery. In the years since, I am grateful when I see tragedy or losses, or medical diagnoses. I had a friend from Kings Point [home of the academy] who just recently passed away. Forty years old. She battled metastatic cancer for five years. It’s just trying to be grateful and happy every day. Because nothing is guaranteed.”
— Heather Schon
Lower Makefield Township, Pa.
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“9/11 to me is their [his son] version of what Pearl Harbor was to me. I wasn't alive for Pearl Harbor, but of course we learned all about it in school all the time. We always remembered the date. When the day rolled around we always talked about it in school. I’d hear my parents talk about it because they were alive during it. But Pearl Harbor didn’t have the same impact for me.
When we come here we certainly remind them of why this park was created. And there will be something that comes along for them that they will always remember. And their children will study it in school.”
— Steve Murphy
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Staff Contributors
Reporting: Tom Gralish
Editing: Diane Mastrull
Visuals: Tom Gralish, Rachel Molenda
Digital Production: Rachel Molenda, Annie Bryan, Patricia Madej
Copy Editing & Print: Roslyn Rudolph, Lidija Dorjkhand