A most moving 9/11 experience

[Hughie]

When we were in the USA in June visiting our threetowners friend from Stevenston (oor Catherine) we were taken to a lovely memorial walk dedicated to those poor souls from that area in New Jersey who lost their lives in the twin towers.

Half way through the walk I noticed Catherine and Betty were holding back the tears. Me? I felt like crying my heart out and wondered if they'd noticed. The memorial is next to the Middletown NJ train station to New York where during 9/11 many cars lay waiting for days for their owners who never did return.

The dedicatications to those who died can be seen on the following link, and I must congratulate the folks involved in this project - we found it so very moving. Updated Link to photos.

[morag]

Hughie, a few years ago I visited my Stevenston pal in Brooklyn with another pal from Ardrossan who wanted to go to the Twin Towers site. It was awful for me and I had to walk away the atmosphere was so intense and brooding. I couldn't understand how people could walk around normally when I felt like I was going to run screaming and howling.

[ellenyoung31]

Hugh. thank you for the photos.I feel for all the people.
I wish we could all live in piece and get on. Ellen.

[Alexmac442]

This reminds me of my visit to the war cemetery in Kanchanaburi, west of Bangkok. After walking through this very silent and humbling place I also found myself in tears and when I looked to see if anyone was watching my ex-wife was the same.
Alex

[Meg]

I take it that Kanchanaburi is where the dead from the Burma Railway are buried. I have had similar experiences at the Vietnam Wall in Washington DC, and the peace park in Hiroshima. The full horror of war hits you smack in the face when you visit places dedicated to those who sacrificed their lives in conflict.

[Alexmac442]

Meg., The men are not buried in the cemetery they are buried/burned where they fell. However it is probably the best way to commemorate them. There are small concrete plinths with bronze plaques attached and they are laid out in rows of British, Australian, Dutch nationalities. The local Thais tend the site and replace the flowers regularly, they do this for nothing and have done since the cemetery was made. I also visited the death camp beside the bridge (Bridge on the river Kwai) which is not far away, but the silence of the cemetery makes it the more emotional place.
Alex

[John Donnelly]

I know the feeling. I get it at the war cemeteries here in Holland, Germany, Belgium and France where I regularly attend remembrance services.

There are not a few so-called world leaders I would lke to march round these places at the point of a bayonet.

JD.

[Anne]

On an tour of Italy a few years ago we stopped at the War Graves Cemetary at Monte Casino. It was so sad to see all the British Graves ( ie Scots, Welsh, Irish & English ) and amongst them were the South Africans most with Springboks on the Headstones. All so far from Home & Families

[meekan]

"Man's inhumanity to man" SO SAD

[5eulbdog7]

I remember visiting the war memorial in Melbourne and thinking what a waste of young lives. When I came out two soldiers were standing outside. They had feathers in their hats so I think they might be from the Light Horse.I said the memorial was spectacular but what a shame that there are wars. These guys weren't young and both carried revolvers and I was shocked by what they said," there's too many people in the world and we need wars to control the population." Donovan sang a song called the "universal soldier" maybe he too had met these clowns.

[5eulbdog7]

On an tour of Italy a few years ago we stopped at the War Graves Cemetary at Monte Casino. It was so sad to see all the British Graves ( ie Scots, Welsh, Irish & English ) and amongst them were the South Africans most with Springboks on the Headstones. All so far from Home & Families

Hi Anne, my brother visited the monastery a few years ago and said the place was absolutely mobbed with Polish folk and so busy you couldn't get near it. He decided it wasn't worth the hassle and left. Just under three thousand Polish soldiers were killed and wounded taking the place. I saw a photo of the carnage and a lot of these men fell in rows as they had charged machine guns over open land.

[Anne]

We must have been lucky Billy as the day we visited it was quiet and we just wandered around seeing all the different Countries these men came from. Wouldn't have like to have been there when your Brothers went.