NYC’s 9/11 Firefighters’ Memorial

I arrived at the Firemen’s Memorial around 8:50 this morning. The memorial, located at 100th Street and Riverside Drive, was dedicated on September 5, 1913. It consists of a central marble structure, two sculpture groups, and a fountain.  The memorial honors fallen firefighters and is the site of an annual memorial service for those who lost their lives in the line of duty.  For the past ten years, the memorial has served as a place for families to mourn for their loved ones and for firefighters to remember their 343 comrades who perished on September 11th 2001.

Walking up West End Avenue, I felt as if I were a part of a somber processional:

Uniformed firefighters and other servicemen congregated at the memorial as the bagpipes played:

As I approached the front of the memorial I heard Danny Boy  playing and a few firefighters singing along. At 9:03 a moment of silence was observed to mark the time when United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center.  The firefighters present removed their hats and bowed their head remembering where they were and what they were doing exactly ten years ago at that moment. Firefighters from across the country joined together to pay their respects at the memorial.

According to CBS, thousands of firefighters and their families paid their respects at the memorial this morning:

A speaker’s podium and seats occupied the landing in front of the memorial:

343 flags, one for each firefighter who died on September 11th, 2001. Each firefighter’s name was read  aloud  during the course of the memorial service:

A child, too young to have been alive ten years ago, left this flower at the memorial: