We Remember to Never Forget - Two 9-11 Memorials in Colorado --

Last summer, on a visit to Colorado before I moved here permanently, I accompanied my daughter on a business trip to Pueblo, Colorado. While she was with her clients, I wandered around the beautiful Riverwalk in the downtown area.  You can see more about the Riverwalk on this post, and about the Center for American Values, that is located there, on this post.

Right outside the Center of American Values, which honors the United States Medal of Honor recipients, was this breathtaking memorial to 9-11.

A steel beam from the actual World Trade Center ruins was balanced on top of two tower-like figures, pointed towards the direction of New York City.

A close up of the plaque that accompanies the memorial. 

My visit to Pueblo was right after the 2012, 9-11 anniversary, and I found it very touching to see how my soon to be new home state vowed: "We Remember to Never Forget'!

Even more so, I soon found there was to be another heartbreaking connection to 9-11 in my new state of Colorado.  When I visited the 9-11 Memorial in New York City, one last time before I moved, (you can see that post here) I took the time to photograph many of the names engraved around the memorial waterfalls, both people I or my husband knew that perished that fateful day, as well as others that became well known after the event.

One name I photographed was of the pilot of United Airlines Flight 93, Jason M Dahl.  Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania on 9-11, 2001, because of the heroic efforts of the passengers on board who fought the terrorists, to prevent further probable death and destruction in Washington, DC.

When I moved to my new neighborhood in the Littleton, Colorado area in January of this year, I passed this memorial not far from where I live.  It was a memorial to Pilot Jason M Dahl, who lived in my community until that fateful day!

Here is another photo I took of the memorial, this summer, on July 4th.

(Click on the photo to enlarge it, and then again when it opens to see an even larger view).

The Jason Dahl Scholarship Fund was set up by his wife, Sandy Dahl, after 9-11, to help worthy students of aviation. Sadly, Sandy Dahl passed away in her sleep on May 25, 2012, but the scholarship fund continues. In New York City I was surrounded by memorials and reminders of the 9-11 tragedy, but I did not expect to find such a connection here, over 1,800 miles away!  It made me realize more than ever that we are all connected in some way to the events of 9-11, whether they took place in our city or not. It was an attack on our entire nation and our way of life. We will have to remain vigilant, no matter where we live, to prevent something like this from ever happening again!

I took the following video of one of the 9-11 Memorial Waterfalls during my visit to the Memorial.  The two waterfalls lie in the footprints of the World Trade Center Tower One and Tower Two, a solemn reminder of where so many perished that day.  Water flows from all four sides into the center abyss.



Would you like to turn September 11 into a day of positive good deeds, charitable service, and inspiration?  I could not think of a better way to remember those lost than to do something good to help another in their memory.  Go to the 9/11 Day Observance web page and look where you can volunteer in your community on, or around, the 9-11 date. 

May "We Remember to Never Forget"!

If you would like to read all of my prior 10 posts about 9-11 please click on this link