Dr. Nancy Remembers 9/11 at Springfield Victim Center’s Memory Garden

 Remembering The Twin Towers

9/11 Memorial Observance in Springfield, MO
I am a crisis responder.
On September 10, 2001 I began training with the National Organization of Victim Assistance (NOVA). Our second day of training fell on September 11. We sat spellbound and shocked as we saw the Twin Towers hit one-by-one by airplanes. No one said a lot; we all just watched feeling helpless and confused. Eventually, the decision was made to use this time to learn and prepare for any disaster (natural or man-made).  A few weeks later many of us traveled to New York City to provide victim assistance at the Twin Towers site. That would be the first of many visits I would make to what became known as Ground Zero.
I was asked to talk about the positive things that have happened since 9/11. For 10 years I have returned to New York and each trip have made a visit to Ground Zero. There, I had listened and been with the families who lost loved ones on 9/11. I had listened and been with the rescuers who continued to work even as they struggled with the horror of their experiences. I had listened to the stories of men and women who also had survived that day, some by escaping , and some who, by chance, did not go there as planned. Some talked of the circumstances that changed their fate. I spoke with a woman who had not gone to work that day or the man who was late to work because he stopped to run an errand, as well as a mother who stayed home from work at the World Trade Center to care for her sick child.

We Are All Connected

Serving these fine people on two separate response visits made me feel a part of what happened and is happening at in New York. Even today each time I visit it is a powerful and moving experience. Each time I visit it takes me back to my first visit when I boarded a Port Authority ferry with the family members of those who had lost loved ones. We traveled from New Jersey across the Hudson River to take them to visit Ground Zero. We all knew this would the last resting place of those they loved. It was a humbling experience. We all felt privileged and honored to serve. I am drawn back to see the progress of the cleanup, the new building and the ongoing recovery occurring there.
In fact, I was there last Sunday. I spent a large part of the day visiting the site. I went to the World Trade Center’s temporary museum which opened a year ago. At the museum you can visit and see pictures of the original devastated site, experience the sounds and hear the stories of those who survived. I feel connected to every person I pass when I am there. You can strike up a conversation with just about any person. We all know about 9/11. We all know where we were on 9/11. It was a day all Americans came together and joined one another in prayer and support. We became strong and proud to be an American.
The site is not finished but is and will be a beautiful memorial to the power of our country’s resilience and determination. A strong spiritual feeling envelops you when you see the two beautiful memorial fountains. All the names of those lost that day are engraved at the memorial park. After the 9/11 Memorial the park has been opened to the public, the newly constructed museum will bring to life the whole history of 9/11 so we never forget.
This experience has shown us  that even a tragedy like the events of 9/11 cannot take us down nor cause us to lose faith in our country or one another. God bless us all.
~ Text of Dr. Nancy D. O’Reilly’s remarks at Springfield Victim Center’s Memory Garden on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the World Trade Center bombings.

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