Print
Sep 12, 2007 3:17 pm US/Eastern
Tribute Center Gives Many Place To Reflect On 9/11
Volunteers, Visitors Find Compassion, Hope In Stories From That Day
by Cindy Hsu
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
-
-
One firefighter's gear helps tell the emotional story at Ground Zero.
Gregg Geller
-
-
Six years have passed since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and for many the pain has not diminished. From New York and Washington, to the crash site in Pennsylvania and beyond, people took time to remember the worst terrorist attack on US soil, and the tol
CBS
After Sept. 11, we often heard the phrase, "We will never forget."
There's a special place near ground zero that is making sure we keep that promise. CBS 2 HD takes you inside the World Trade Center Tribute Center.
"2,749 people across the street were murdered," Lee Ielpi said. "Well, that's a number, but wait a minute there's a face, and they connect with it now,"
For more than 30 years Lee Ielpi fought fires. He's now fighting to make sure we remember 9/11 through the Tribute Center, right across the street from ground zero.
Ielpi's son, Jonathan, was one of the many heroes. Weeks after finding his body, they recovered his helmet and turncoat. He left behind two little boys, like so many others who perished that day.
Visitors from all over the world see the pictures, the names and hear the words. Brian Sweeney called his wife from the plane before it crashed into the South Tower.
"I'm on an airplane that's been hijacked," Sweeney said. "If things don't go well and they're not looking good I want you to know that I absolutely love you."
The Center is also uplifting, sharing stories of compassion and hope. Families are encouraged to bring children, who ask the most innocent questions.
"Are the bad guys sorry that they did what they did?" said Geri Travis, volunteer tour guide. "The innocence and the wonder of children is probably the most amazing part of this for me."
Added 11-year-old Morgan Campbell: "I like all the pictures that these kids drew. It's really inspiring for them to draw it for all the people who didn't make it."
Tours are given by more than 200 volunteers personally touched by 9/11. Firefighter Fred Sager spent hours digging at ground zero and volunteering is helping him heal.
"You'd walk away with this hollow empty feeling that you were getting nowhere and the frustration kept building and building," Sager said. "So when Tribute came about and they were giving these tours, I found it a great way to walk away with an emotionally uplifting feeling, rather than walking away feeling depressed."
People often end their visit here writing down their thoughts about Sept. 11 and their experience at the Tribute Center, then can then post their thoughts on the wall and you'll find everything -- pictures, different languages and words from the heart.
Patty writes, "I don't take anything or anybody for granted. I love everyday like it was my last."
Tribute WTC 9/11 Visitor Center
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
