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9/11 Memorial
A Piece For The Memorial
In 2008, we began a process to obtain a piece of steel that had been recovered from the World Trade Center, and was stored with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. This was a rare and unique opportunity! We were one of the first agencies in Colorado to request and receive a piece of steel from this allotment!
However, it’s trip to become a memorial was delayed. We wanted the memorial to be the best that we could make it. So began a journey of design for two years which we would ultimately unveil at our 50th Anniversary celebration in July of 2013.
It was decided that we would build the memorial ourselves in tribute, and if outside assistance was needed it would come from those within our District or friends of the department. It was built with the intent to be able to touch the steel, and the area was designed so that you could sit peacefully in the area.
The Memorial Design
The design seeks to represent as much of 9/11 as we could. The concrete base is in the shape of the Pentagon, situated in much the same direction that it is now, and roughly to scale. The numbers placed into the concrete on the west side of the memorial represent the aircraft numbers, and the numbers on the east of the memorial are line of duty deaths of public service workers that day.
On the southwest corner of the “pentagon” is Flight 77, which struck the Pentagon in that same area. To the northwest corner is Flight 93 (which never found it’s target due to the heroes on board). On the north side of our steel is Flight 11 which struck the north tower, and Flight 175 which struck the south tower is situated on the south side of the steel. On the east are the numbers 343 (our firefighter family lost), 34 (our EMS family lost), 1 (a K9 law enforcement officer killed in the collapse), and 60 (law enforcement family lost).
The steel is situated atop a steel beam which has “clamps” welded in place but the artifact remained completely unaltered. This work was donated by a local business, Compton’s Welding. Floral and landscaping for the memorial was donated by another local business American Quality Landscape. Individual donations from local residents and employees of Paychex, Inc.
Impact
Our memorial was dedicated 10 years ago, and countless people have come to sit with it and reflect. It’s now over 20 years since that fateful day for our nation, and our memorial serves as much as an education piece for younger generations as it does as a reminder for others. The memorial itself has “virtual” existences for popular mobile games such as being a “portal” for the game “Ingress”, and a “gym” for the mobile game Pokemon Go. Through these interactions, more people have come to touch, and be a part of this living history than perhaps others. We encourage anyone to be able to touch this steel, and connect to that moment in history that unified our country in a way that had not been done since the attack on Pearl Harbor. Come and visit the memorial, you find yourself standing next to one of us as we visit it frequently ourselves.
