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Six months and four days after the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, staff members of The Marlin Chronicle Michael Touhill, Amylynn Coddington, Dr. Bill Ruehlmann and I, visited New York for a college media convention to find a forever changed but healing city. While the convention offered beneficial information surrounding the world of journalism and newspaper design, one look around the city offered even more valuable lessons about life, courage and the ability to bounce back from devastation.
The vigor and beauty of the city with its yellow taxis, light and dark skin tones, varied lifestyles and busy nightlife made it difficult to imagine that anything had ever gone wrong. However, beneath the thriving facade of daily routines lay a wound waiting to heal. At night, two beams of light stretched up to the sky -- a simple reminder of the twin towers that once stood and a remembrance of lives lost, but more than that, the lights appeared to reach far beyond the boundaries of this world.
Walking toward Ground Zero was an experience in itself. There was a sense of obligation, a sense of sadness, and growing hesitation with every step closer to the place where it all happened. “Being surrounded by a lot of emotion and pride in the city was a very emotional experience for me,” said Coddington. “It was an experience I will never forget.”
Approaching the scene was like walking into daylight; the stadium lighting for the workers lit an area larger than one wanted to imagine. Once there, all we could do was stop, stare and remember the buildings that once defined the New York City skyline. The lights were blinding, the smoke rising from below the streets was creepy, and the sight of the flag displayed on the damaged building in the distance was reassuring.
The next morning, after our visit to Ground Zero, the streets of New York were running wild with excitement over the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. “The difference between being at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and being at Ground Zero the night before was like night and day,” said Touhill. “I really admire the spirit of New Yorkers.”
In the midst of celebration, with more than one million in attendance, all activity came to a halt as the parade turned in the direction of the World Trade Center for a moment of silence. More than a million paused to remember those lost in the events of Sept. 11. A world forever changed, but not forever broken; take it from the New Yorkers, greatness will rise from the ashes.
-- Rebecca Desjardins