September 11, 2001
One Year Later – New York, NY – September 11, 2002
A full view of Ground Zero from West Side Highway.
By Theo
Ross - September 12, 2002 - Last Updated: October 3, 2002
It’s been a year since the horrific
attacks at the World Trade Center, The Pentagon, and rural Pennsylvania. For
the past year or so, I was in shock at how much this country has come together,
and how little we cared for material possessions and our differences. I was so
touched by the selfless and heroic deeds of the NYFD, NYPD, the construction
workers, and many other people that have worked on Ground Zero. They have saved
the lives of a handful of people, and recovered the corpses of many.
These are whom I call real heroes.
Sports stars and Pop music stars (i.e. Britney Spears, J.Lo)
are just entertainers – many of
them are highly overrated. These people who have worked on Ground Zero,
and kept a plane that crashed into Pennsylvania from flying into the White
House, were what I call and what the world should call heroes.
JESUS CHRIST – The Biggest Hero of All!
September 11 has changed the lives of many people all over the nation. God allowed a tragedy like this to happen to give America a whole new revelation of who is really in charge, what is really important, and a whole new meaning of life. He also allowed a tragedy like this to show us what really matters in this world. We’ve put our faith in money, material possessions, and even ourselves. There is nothing wrong with having a Lexus, or a half-million dollar house, but we shouldn’t let them make us feel that we don’t need God in our lives, because that’s who is most important.
God isn’t a judging god, or a god of wrath, but He is a God of love. He loved people so much that He sent His one and only son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins (John 3:16). Jesus, our biggest hero, died on the cross for our sins. He will save any and every person, who accepts Him as their personal Savior, from an eternity of unspeakable torment.
It’s cool to have a Lexus parked in a fancy house, but without Jesus you’re just a well-to-do person that’s busting Hell wide-open. Remember: Hell is real, and it’s definitely the worst place of all. Knowing Jesus is as easy as ABC:
A – Accept Jesus as Lord and Savior
B – Believe in Him
C – Confess your sins
How much harder can that be? It’s absolutely free, and there are no hidden charges. Heaven, and all of its glory is everlasting, and once you’ve accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, there is no turning back from it.
Jesus is not only a hero, but he is the best friend you can ever have. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother, and will never leave you or forsake you. He cares about you.
A passer-by took this
picture of me with Ground Zero in the background.
On and after 9/11/01, many people have
given their lives to the one and only Lord and Savior – Jesus Christ! For many
of those who already know the Lord, the tragedy had made them come closer to Christ.
It’s the coolest thing to see a crowd of people come to Jesus Christ, and
accept Him as their Lord and Savior.
As the months passed by, my interest in
visiting New York City had only increased. It was always emotional seeing the
workers on Ground Zero, or hearing stories of those that lost loved ones, or
survived the 9-11 attacks. As I heard those stories and saw those acts of
heroism, I heard the Lord tell me to spend a day in New York this September 11.
As I, with God’s help, were planning the trip about a month ago. I checked a
popular Christian music site (cmcentral.com) for album reviews, and here, I
found the perfect event for September 11, 2002, that would be the “grand
finale” for that day. By night’s end, I knew the Lord was with me every step of
the way.
The NYFD leads
those who lost loved ones on 9-11
Morning – Arrival, School Ceremonies
I woke up early that morning. The ride
was very smooth getting to North Jersey. I stopped for a bite to eat, and
arrived in Jersey City. While in Jersey City, I passed by a couple of schools
as I was finding a place to park. They
were holding their own 9-11 ceremonies in front of their schools. As I drove by
one of them, they were waving their flags, and as I beeped my horn, they waved
back.
I took the PATH train from Journal
Square in Jersey City to 33rd St. in New York, and then took the E
train to the World Trade Center. Thinking I was taking the right train to the
WTC, I saw that this train was heading the wrong direction. Coming from 34th
St., I wound up passing 42nd St., and 50th St. (going
northbound). I asked the guy in the train if I was going the right direction.
He told me to go to the next station, and then go downstairs to the other
platform. A minute or two later, I took the right train this time, and in about
5 minutes, I arrived at the station closest to WTC on Church Street.
Families that lost
loved ones on 9-11
I arrived only two blocks from Ground Zero,
just in time for the 9-11 procession down Church St. There, I saw some of our
heroes march down the street – the New York Police Department, New York Fire
Department, the construction workers, and the EMS crew.
The NYPD marches
down Church St.
I also saw some of the survivors of the
tragedy, and the people who lost family members or friends on 9/11/01. As the
NYPD or NYFD, or just about anyone involved passed by as the crowd cheered. I
heard the biggest cheers when the NYC fire trucks passed by.
As the ceremony drew to a close, there
was a mass held in St. Peter’s Church just a block from Ground Zero. Although
it was a Catholic church, I came inside, anyway. The people inside were nice
and greeted us. The bottom floor was so crowded that a guy from the church
invited us to the top floor.
Holy Communion
served during mass in St. Peter’s Church, just two blocks from GZ
I saw the mass from there. During an
emotional ceremony, I watched the choir sing, and the priest spoke in honor of
the tragedy. He tried to put a little humor in the service, but it was still
emotional. There I saw former New York City mayor, Rudolph Giuliani.
After the service was over, I wanted to
shake his hand (I know – it’s idealistic), but it’s not hard for him to get
lost in the crowd, so that wasn’t possible.
A fair picture of
former New York mayor, Rudolph Giuliani
Afternoon – Ground Zero, Empire State Building
After the somber ceremonies near Ground
Zero, there wasn’t much going on. They closed off the viewing area of Ground
Zero, as the police said, “there was nothing there to see”. In my mind, there
was a little of something to see, but they didn’t want us to be there, in fear
of more terrorists. Persistently I walked around Ground Zero in hope to take a good
picture. I walked along West Side Highway across from Ground Zero, and suddenly
it got really windy, and at one point, I could barely walk.
The EMS squad marching down Church Street. Behind the is the infamous steel cross
under a Flag at half-staff. Notice the dust coming upward from Ground Zero.
One of the most supernatural things
that I ever saw in my walk with Jesus is the site of Ground Zero while it was
windy. I literally saw the dust kick up from GZ, and GZ only, and it formed an
image of the twin towers being there in its place. I also saw this occur during
the procession down Church Street. The timing was perfect, and I just stood
there, as God was telling me that those who died in World Trade Center are
alive and well, and are with Jesus in heaven!
Around the perimeter of GZ, There were
loads of pictures, signatures, and messages in honor of the victims of 9/11.
Pictures and other
memorabilia plaster the walls and fences surrounding Ground Zero.
After I was finished going around Ground
Zero, I decided to go to the Empire State Building. So I took the #2 train back
where I came from, basically – on 34th Street. 34th St is
surprisingly the home of the Madison Square Garden arena, Macy’s - the world’s
largest department store, Radio City Music Hall, and of course, the Empire
State Building. While I was near the Madison Square Garden, I bought the
tickets to that night’s event – A Tribute to Grace and Hope.
Empire State Bulding
Late that afternoon, I stopped for a
bite to eat, and then went to the Empire State Building – now the largest
building in New York City. I went inside the building, and security guards
checked me. Security was very tight there. They checked my bag of goodies (and
soon to be souvenirs, as well), much like at an airport, and my pouch where I
keep my camera. It’s one of those checkpoints where you regret filling you
pockets full of change, and what not. It took about a couple of minutes to get
everything straight.
A view of the
Hudson river from the Empire State Building in Lower
Manhattan. In this picture, the island to the front is Ellis Island,
behind it is the Statue of Liberty. The piery-looking
joint behind it is Bayonne, NJ, and Staten Island in the background.
After then, I purchased the tickets to
the observatory (where you get a view of NYC from the 86th floor),
and a cool ride on the 2nd floor, known as the New York Skyride. It
was a virtual reality ride that gives us cool views of the New York skyline.
There were portions of the ride where they still have the World Trace Center
still on it, but it made me think we would be the next ones to crash into WTC
(for fun), but fortunately this virtual ride goes around it.
A bird’s eye view of the city from the 86th floor of
the Empire State Building.
After the ride was finished, I was off
to the 86th floor, where I got a cool view of New York City, and
even a portion of New Jersey. Despite the haziness late in the afternoon, I saw
the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Ellis Island from
the 86th floor. It was pretty scary looking downward, as you’re
seeing the tops of many buildings. Pedestrians and traffic on the city streets
below looked like ants and midgets.
Night – A Tribute to Grace & Hope
After getting a cup of Starbucks coffee to get
perked up for the rest of the night, I walked just a few blocks to the Madison
Square Garden for that night’s event – A Tribute to Grace and Hope. I arrived about 45 minutes early, because I
wanted to beat the crowds. This event was three hours long, and there were a
handful of Christian performers, politicians, and even 9-11 victims.
Tribute was taped live on TBN, and was
broadcasted across the nation simultaneously. If you have the event taped, you can
see me at least once on that special. As the aerial cameras point to us, I
would be somewhere in the center-left of the stage on one of the folding
chairs. Look for a guy in a white shirt, then look to
the left of him. There you’ll see me.
Since the event was held in a secular venue, it
wasn’t quite camera-friendly. The lighting and everything was set so no one can
take pictures. Since I took a few too many pictures during the day, I was like
“budgeting” film that night, so I couldn’t take many pictures anyway.
Two NBA stars started the night with a short
speech. They were Allen Houston and Charlie Ward of the New York Knicks. There
was a NYPD officer who sang his heart out that night. There also was a
schoolteacher, who taught a class at a school just two blocks away from the
World Trade Center. She and her class actually saw this horrific event unveil
on 9-11. She said that they were forced to move classes to a different
location, since the building was so badly damaged.
Later Steven Curtis Chapman performed a few songs,
and then Fred Hammond with his choir did a spirit-filled set. They were both
excellent. Third Day did a great job, too. They remind me much of the secular
rock band, Creed.
After then, New Jersey Governor, Jim McGreevey
spoke. I was shocked at what he had to say in his speech. He began, saying,
“God’s been good!” The crowd replied, “All the time”. His speech was
surprisingly Christ-centered. He wanted to say a little more, but was cut
short.
After then, New York Governor, Pataki spoke, and
then a Spanish singer performed. His name was Marcos Witt. After then, the NBA
players spoke again, as well as an NFL player. They gave an emotional speech
regarding how much we seemed to take much for granted until 9-11.
Not to forget Tobymac’s
performance. He put on the greatest performance out of all who performed. He
performed his solo works from his “Momentum” CD, including one of my favorites,
J-Train, Don’t Bring Me Down, and Irene. He most definitely should be at Creation next year.
After then, Fred Hammond was invited back to do a
couple more songs. Then the “grand finale” for the night was when everyone who spoke or performed at Tribute came together and sang along for one final song. It
was so uplifting, that within the first few seconds I was put into tears!
Going Home
After Tribute was over, I was exhausted, and wanted to go home.
As I was finding the closest PATH station, I got lost for a bit. I eventually
asked a police officer who was working at a booth, and he kindly pointed to the
right direction. After then, I boarded the PATH train back to Jersey City.
30 minutes later, I arrived back Jersey City at Journal Square. I got
in my car, and headed back home. With the night’s happening in mind, I was put
into tears again, and thank the Lord for a day spent solely with Him.
The next day, I was fortunate enough to watch the last 30 minutes or so
of the Tribute event on TBN. It brought back memories of the previous night,
but it was nothing like being there in person.
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…”I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20