FDNY Memorial Page Shares Haunting Photo of Trade Center Hours Before Collapse
On this date 17 years ago, 2,977 innocent individuals lost their lives, including 343 firemen.
It was the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of the world.
And just one day before, nobody could have predicted it was the last sunset that the Twin Towers would ever see.
It’s been the better part of two decades since 19 terrorists aboard four airplanes wreaked horrors we thought could only occur in works of fiction. But sadly, the wounds feel just as fresh.
And, as we remember the loss and heroism, the enormous sacrifice that was made on that day by so many — particularly our first responders — the New York City Fire Department Memorial’s Facebook page shared an image of the last hours of an American icon.
The caption says it all: “World Trade Center’s last sunset.”
The stark image brought out emotions for many on social media.
“So sad. Weather here in Manhattan feels exactly the same today as it did in that photo as well,” one user wrote, adding, “love to all the FDNY.”
“I remember the first time driving in to NYC and not seeing those towers. To all those lost including friends of mine, may they rest in eternal peace,” another user wrote. “And I will always say a prayer for all the family and friends who lost loved ones.”
And one comment summed up how many of us probably feel looking at this: “The saddest day of my life.”
We all say “Never Forget” around this time of year — it’s since been social-mediaized into #NeverForget — and I hope most of us mean it. While it’s important that we never forget, it’s more important we remember the pain of those who can’t forget.
There are those who lost loved ones — either in the Twin Towers, the Pentagon or in a field in Pennsylvania.
There are the first responders who bear the scars of that day, whether it’s through illness or emotional wounds.
There are those who have served in Afghanistan, the country where the illegitimate Taliban government harbored the terrorist who helped plan and execute the gravest terrorist atrocity the world has ever seen.
We may never forget. They can’t forget. Say a prayer for them this 9/11 — that they may all be as whole as they were the moment this photograph was taken.
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