Monday’s 9/11 memorial events marked 22 years since a badly shaken nation came together in solidarity. The city of Miramar stood with the rest of the nation remembering the enduring legacy of 9/11 and honoring the loss of nearly 3,000 innocent lives.
City leaders unveiled two I-beams salvaged from the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center at a memorial ceremony held at Miramar’s Regional Park.
An unveiling nearly a decade in making, Mayor Wayne Messam says relocating the beams from New York to South Florida was a plan initiated by local firefighters and he’s been working with them on it since.
“Our fire department went through the initial process for the city of Miramar to actually get parts of the World Trade Center and to build it here at Regional Park,” said Messam. “It is breathtaking.”
The two steel columns serve as a remembrance of the 343 men and women who died in the line of duty.
The unveiling brought out many residents, city leaders, and local first responders. While they all were in good spirits- The memories of 9/11 remain etched in the minds of those old enough to recall the events.
Melody White, U.S. Navy Petty Officer, who was in New York when the towers collapsed, recalls the event this way: “I just saw this one gentleman, and he was full of the silt from the towers falling, eyes bloodshot red, and he just continued to walk straight. No emotion. No nothing on his face.”
At the ceremony, two moments of silence were held for the north and south towers.
This dedication site will remain a home for the relics . Park visitors can stop by the site at any time and reflect on a day that changed the lives of Americans forever. To honor someone by sponsoring a bench or a paver, visit Miramar’s City Hall.
