New Blog Series Explores Shared, Personal Experiences at Memorial

9/11 Memorial President and CEO Joe Daniels directs planning, construction, development and operations for the 9/11 Memorial. Through his work, he is honored to meet many of the families, colleagues and friends, of the nearly 3,000 9/11 victims. Daniels will share his personal experiences at the memorial, and much more, in the "Thank You for Visiting" series on the MEMO blog.

On Sept. 11, we honored the thousands of men, women and children who were taken from us much too soon. We gathered together on the 9/11 Memorial plaza on the 11th anniversary, and like years past, the names were read aloud. After commemorating the anniversary of the attacks, I took time to reflect on the people I greeted, stood beside and embraced. My thoughts were also with the people who were unable to be there.

There are so many moving tributes I have witnessed, and the global response to this memorial is something I have never experienced. Through this new blog series, I want to share these moments with you as a way to further help preserve the memory of the men, women and children stripped away from their loved ones in an unforgettable act of terror.

Since the MEMO blog’s first post, it has served as the public’s window into work beyond the reconstruction at the World Trade Center. It also has demonstrated the incredible effort and dedication of the memorial and museum staff, and has lent a voice to our twin mission to preserve the memories of the victims and to educate the public on the history of 9/11. With the addition of this new series, I hope to provide a personal perspective on this special place. I am amazed by the number of visitors the memorial welcomes each day, and I encourage each one of you to return as we strive to keep our collective promise to never forget.

Thank you for visiting.

By Joe Daniels, 9/11 Memorial President and CEO