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9/11 steel pieces scattered through out South Jersey
Thursday, September 10, 2015
By John V. Santore
There is a 16-foot-lon stret!h of steel behind "bse!on#s $ubli!
%or&s buildin, !o'ered in a blue tarp,
a(aitin its final restin pla!e.
There is a 10-foot-lon beam in front of the )irefihters *useum
of Southern +e( Jersey in allo(ay
To(nship, alon a uiet road, flan&ed by (reaths.
n %ednesday, a four-foot pie!e of steel (as pla!ed into a stone
memorial on the Board(al& at the
border of "tlanti! /ity and Ventnor, (here oers mo'e past on
their mornin runs.
They are hea'y, rouh, t(isted and ripped, re-formed on a day and
by a for!e that remain sho!&in.
There are many su!h pie!es throuhout the (orld, 1,00 artifa!ts,3
as they are &no(n, from the former
%orld Trade /enter, in!ludin nearly 250 in +e( Jersey.
4ept for years by the $ort "uthority of +e( or& and +e(
Jersey in a disused hanar at John ).
4ennedy nternational "irport, many are the !enterpie!es of
memorials, both stri&in and unassumin,dottin pea!eful
lands!apes in "'alon, Barneat, 7 8arbor /ity, *ill'ille, Vineland
and other lo!al
!ommunities.
Those (ho (ent throuh the pro!ess of applyin for the steel,
desinin their memorials and soli!itin
the help of lo!al !ontra!tors to transport it hundreds of miles,
spea& of their (or& (ith a ra(,
missionary passion.
" pie!e of steel sits outside the Ventnor /ity )ire 9epartment
(ith a plaue dedi!atin it to fallen first
responders e'ery(here and the :: firefihters (ho died on Sept.
11, 2001.
ou remember it e'ery day (hen you lea'e,3 said firefihter Joe
/allahan on %ednesday, loo&in at
the steel after steppin a(ay from a trainin e;er!ise. %ho (ould
e'er thin& that someone (ould run
a plane into a buildin.3
The beam in front of the )irefihters *useum is !omplemented by a
memorial inside, (here
photoraphs of the de!eased sit beneath a fla featurin a
silhouetted firefihter and the (ords, %e(ill ne'er foret.3
They foret about it, parti!ularly the &ids,3 said retired
"tlanti! /ounty )ire *arshall 8arold
%hitey3 S(art
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"ny 'isitors under the ae of 15, he said, (ill ha'e been born
after the day it re!alls.
/han!es are they don#t e'en &no( about it,3 he said.
7d(ard Vin!ent, another 'eteran firefihter (ho is !urrently fire
!oordinator for "tlanti! /ounty#s
ffi!e of 7meren!y *anaement, said the memorial (ill be dedi!ated
to respe!t, remembran!e,
refle!tion and honorin the people that lost their li'es and that
still rie'e.3
The steel they !are for !ame from the :=th floor of the South
Trade /enter to(er, stru!& at >?0: a.m. by
@nited "irlines )liht 1=5.
The !aptain on that fliht (as "tlanti! /ity 8ih S!hool raduate
Vi!tor Sara!ini.
The Board(al& memorial dedi!ated to him and "tlanti! /ity#s
John $. #+eill, (ho (as the %orld
Trade /enter#s dire!tor of se!urity on Sept. 11, is the onoin
proe!t of Bob $antalena, of Ventnor.
To the families, it means the loss of a son, a brother, a
!ousin,3 $antalena said %ednesday, spea&in ofthe atta!&s.
This represents a pla!e (here people !an !ome and mourn.3
Bill *!rail, a retired firefihter (ho helped $antalena establish
the memorial, said he (ent to +e(or& shortly after >A11,
(here he met firefihters (ho (ere diin throuh the ruins of the
buildins,
sear!hin for their friends.
!an#t find them,3 *!rail re!alled them sayin, ines!apable
emotion in his eyes. !an#t find them
all.3
This here is a symbol of a hue, uly time, but it#s a reli!,3 he
said. t#s a tou!hstone for people.3Beyond remembran!e, $antalena,
Vin!ent and Smith said, the steel also represents a national
spirit, one
defined for them by a (illinness to remember past e'ils (hile
!olle!ti'ely pressin on(ard.
"ll (ere eaer to share their ratitude for the donations of time,
money and (or& that made their
memorials possible.
$antalena said that he has !ome to &no( the Sara!ini family
o'er the years, a ne( relationship he
!learly !herishes.
8e loo&ed ba!& at the steel.
That#s the &eystone, the aorta,3 he said. t is, he
!ontinued, a statement to the (orld that despite the
trai! day, (e !ome toether and stand stron.3
