When Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941, President Roosevelt described it as a date that will live in infamy.
Sixty years later, another tragedy occurred on September 11, 2001.
I was living in NYC during that time and for several months following that fateful day my life was surreal. Flyers posted on light poles asking if anyone had seen their mom, mom, friend or co-worker. Subway riders sat quietly with glassy-eyed stares.
Tears ran down my face as I attended memorial services for those who I knew and lost.
Each year that has passed has lightened my heavy heart, but NYC never forgets, and tributes to the fallen are meticulously arranged each September. Since moving from Manhattan to Atlantic City in 2014, I wondered if there would be a 9/11 tribute in my new city. And then I saw it.
Posted prominently on the Boardwalk border of Ventnor & Atlantic City are the plaques of two native sons that lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Now, on the 14th anniversary of that tragic day, Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian lead a service and exclaimed, “December 7 was our parents’ day of infamy. Today, September 11, is our day of infamy”.
The service marked the unveiling of a new addition to the memorial located at the corner of Jackson & the Boardwalk. It was piece of metal direct from the fallen World Trade Center. It now sits between the two plaques.
One man that helped acquire the WTC piece is Bob Pantalena of Ventnor. Said Bob, “The piece of WTC metal fit right into place without much work”. A fitting honor for two local heroes.
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