My mom and dad have a photo of my brother and I standing on City Island in 1990. I'm five, and my brother was seven. The New York City skyline, including the twin towers, is the perfect back drop for our little family photo.
No one in my family could've guessed that photo would become significant not for the the foreground, but for the memory of the skyline in the background.
Tomorrow will mark the 15th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, and I still haven't brought myself within 50 feet of the memorial. Other New Yorkers and folks who lived in the metro area have told me that they also feel uncomfortable visiting. This video was also hard to watch, but I felt it was important to share.
To some people who live in other parts of the country, and to young adults who were toddlers (or not even born) at the time, the memory of September 11th, 2001 is impossible to explain.
That's why videos like the one produced by Chris at MadeByMessina.com are so vital to our collective history. Messina's Tribute To First Responders shows footage of cops and firemen bravely walking into the Twin Towers just moments before their collapse, plus archive footage of all of the heroes of the day.
Please SHARE this September 11th First Responder Tribute in honor of the men and women who sacrificed their lives to save so many.
Credit: MadeByMessina Youtube / Facebook
