September 11, 2011 - 10th Anniversary Ceremony - Office of the Chief Medical Examiner - New York City -  by Gerianne B. Kenny, Region 2

During the months following the tragedy on September 11, 2001 countless members of DMORT from around the country assisted the OCME in NY with the daunting task of helping identify the remains of those lost that day.  With 2011 being the 10th anniversary of the attacks, DMORT received an invitation from Dr. Hirsch from the OCME to share in their ceremony this year. 

The afternoon began at the ME’s new Forensic Biology Lab where we were greeted by Dr. Hirsch and given a briefing by Christian Crowder, Dep. Director of Forensic Anthropology on what has been happening with the ongoing processing of 9-11 remains since 2001.  There have been tireless efforts made by the ME to investigate any reports of possible human remains to include anthropological excavations of reported areas, and going back over layers of earth and debris.  With the advances over the last several years in DNA technology they have increased the number of profiles achieved, and some additional ID’s have also been successfully made.  It is truly amazing how they have gone back over an enormous amount of possible evidence and debris and are continuing to do so to this day in an effort to find any additional ID’s that can possibly be made. 

Following the briefing we walked over to their Chapel at Memorial Park on 30th St. which is where the original trailers were kept in the months following 9-11.  The chapel was built to respectfully shelter the remains still in their care.  An incident several years later destroyed the chapel.  It has since been replaced, and will remain a place of remembrance and reverence for not only the staff, but for some of the families who do visit and attend the service, in hopes that their loved ones who are still unidentified may be resting there.

The service was conducted by Rev. Charles Flood, Disaster Chaplain for the OCME.  As we gathered to pray, honor and remember the sacred remains of those enshrined in within the chapel we also remembered the souls of those who died in the shadow of the Pentagon, and the lonely field in Pennsylvania.  We recalled those who serve in the medical arts, who transport the dead, share in the sorrow of the loved ones, who work to identify those who have died and those who stand by without fear and extend their compassion to others.  He also shared a quote from a letter Canadian politician Jack Layton wrote shortly before his death in ugust which reminds us that: “My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.”

After the chapel service, Region 2 Commander Kevin Costigan informed us that we were granted the honor of receiving a special pass for DMORT to be able to see the 9-11 Memorial at Ground Zero on Monday. The Memorial opened to the families on Sept. 11th and can only be visited by special pass for the next few months.  Several members were able to stay the extra day which made the trip that much more special for those who were able to share it with us.  The pools of the Memorial are built on the “footprints” of the towers.  The names of those who perished at the towers, the Pentagon, Flt. 11, Flt. 93, Flt. 77, Flt. 175, and those from the terrorist attack at the towers in 1993 are inscribed in bronze in a special arrangement around the two pools.

It was indeed an honor to be able to attend the service and return the following day to see the Memorial.  I, myself, joined right after Sept. 11th, but I felt it was important to remember those who perished, especially those who are still unidentified. I also wanted to acknowledge and honor my fellow teammates who spent weeks and months attempting to accomplish the impossible task of trying to make the ID’s so they could be returned to the families.  It was truly a special day of remembrance of another day that will live in infamy in our country’s history.