New York resident Doreen Lynn Saunders watched the horrific events of September 11, 2001 unfold from her office building in midtown Manhattan. Like so many across the country and around the world, she felt an immediate impulse to commemorate those who lost their lives that day.

Saunders is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. Even before 9/11, she was passionate about quilting and cross-stitching. Those interests inspired her to create a handmade American flag in tribute to the victims of the 9/11 attacks. But even after the flag was complete, Saunders felt she could do more to honor the lives that had been lost. She set to work on a new idea for a much bigger project.

Saunders began her new project in 2003 and titled it "The Americana Stars Memorial." It will consist of nearly 3,000 individual cross-stitched stars, one for each victim of 9/11. The stars will be mounted onto panels—50 in total—with the name of every victim cross-stitched beneath the star it represents. When complete, each panel will be framed and mounted side-by-side to stretch for nearly 200 feet.

Every star is different, in tribute to the individuality of the victims and the global nature of the attacks. Although Saunders has accepted the help of other cross-stitchers from across the country interested in being part of the project, she puts the final stitches on each star herself.

To learn more about the Americana Stars Memorial, visit www.AmericanaStars.org.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Visitors to the national 9/11 Memorial who are old enough to recall horrific images of the burning towers, the collapse of the buildings and the tall piles of debris. They know, too, not only of the devastating loss of innocent lives and the impact on victims’ families, but also the effect on the downtown neighborhood and the plight of survivors.

The Memorial’s opening permanently changed the way people view the World Trade Center site.  This sacred site will always recall the pain of that September morning, but I also look at the Memorial as the physical embodiment of the coming together that was the positive legacy of 9/11, and in that way it offers comfort, hope and inspiration.

More than 2 million people have visited the Memorial since the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 to pay their respects to those who were killed on September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. Many of them have shared their experiences online, discussing the site’s renewal and honoring those who were lost through social media channels like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.

Read more in the  Downtown Express.

By Joe Daniels, CEO and President of the 9/11 Memorial

Because of the dedication of a University of Virginia student, a tangible reminder of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks is now part of the Charlottesville campus. The student, Evan Davis, secured a piece of World Trade Center steel that is being used for a 9/11 memorial.

"There were several alumni that were victims of the attack, so we feel this memorial is a great way to bring their honor to campus and bring their memory back to grounds,” Davis told WVIR. 

Davis, president of UVA’s Student Association of Firefighters, EMTs and Rescue-Technicians, submitted an application to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to acquire a piece of WTC steel for the campus memorial.  

The memorial was dedicated on Sunday and includes an American flag flown over the U.S. Capitol. The flag was given to the family of UVA alumnus and victim of the 9/11 attack Glenn Davis Kirwin.

Read more in The Daily Progress.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

9/11 Memorial Museum curators need your help. They are calling on those who best knew the victims of the 2001 and 1993 attacks to help build a special museum exhibition.  The In Memoriam exhibition, which honors the lives of the 2,983 victims, will feature personal remembrances recorded by those closest to the men and women killed on 9/11 and in 1993. 

To collect these oral histories, dedicated recording days will be held April 10-12 at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site, 20 Vesey St.  Appointments with 9/11 Memorial Museum oral historians are available from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily and may last between 30 minutes and an hour. 

These recordings are deeply important, and each becomes part of the museum's permanent collection. Reserve an appointment with an oral historian by calling 212.324.6500. or emailing collections@911memorial.org.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Staff photographer Amy Dreher snaps a lot of pictures at the World Trade Center site, documenting the construction progress. Amy also trains her lens on the smaller pieces that may be overlooked with a project of this magnitude. Through “The Lens: Viewing the 9/11 Memorial,” readers of The MEMO blog can share some of the unique vantage points captured by Amy.

Blossoms: Though the rest of New York City began the day shrouded in fog, the Survivor Tree at the 9/11 Memorial is in full bloom. The callery pear tree now stands at 30-feet tall and is the first tree on the memorial plaza showing signs of spring.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Since its September 2011 opening, the 9/11 Memorial has welcomed more than a million visitors from across the globe – people who have come to these hallowed grounds to remember, reflect and pay tribute. In addition to seeing the names of the nearly 3,000 victims and standing in the place where the twin towers once stood, many have been moved to capture and share their moments at the memorial.

The MEMO blog is sharing pictures that visitors posted to the memorial’s Facebook wall and via Twitter.  While the pictures are powerful, the video that visitors record capture experiences in an entirely different way by offering not only the sights but also the sounds of the memorial’s 30-foot waterfalls feeding the two enormous reflecting pools.

 Here are some examples of visitors’ videos you can find on YouTube:

• 9/11 Memorial - The Sights and Sounds of New York City, from CaStormChaser
• 9/11 Memorial Museum World Trade Center New York City, from arlags
• 9/11 Memorial Pool and Surrounding World Trade Center Rebuilding, from scumonkey

Find the 9/11 Memorial on YouTube or create your own video tribute to the victims and heroes of 9/11.

By 9/11 Memorial staff

The 9/11 London Project is offering teenagers between the ages of 14 and 16 a chance to explore the ongoing implications of 9/11 and to earn a trip to New York City, where they will visit the 9/11 Memorial. The 9/11 London Project is an educational charity devoted to ensuring that children in the U.S., United Kingdom and around the world understand the causes and consequences of 9/11.

Through a five-minute film or 1,200-word essay, the 9/11 National Schools Competition challenges students to answer the question, “How did 9/11 change the world?”  Winners will be chosen by an expert judging panel, which includes Cliff Chanin, the memorial’s director of education and public programs, and Lee Ielpi, 9/11 Memorial board member and president of the September 11th Families' Association and Tribute WTC Visitor Center.

Parents and teachers looking for resources on teaching 9/11 can turn to the 9/11 Memorial’s Teaching Guides and Lesson Plans.  More resources can be found on the Teach + Learn section of the memorial’s website.

By 9/11 Memorial staff

Throughout history at least six United States Navy ships have borne the name “New York,” but only one can claim she was forged with 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center in her bow.

"The significance of where the WTC steel is located on the 684-foot-long ship symbolizes the strength and resiliency of the citizens of New York as it sails forward around the world," said Navy Cmdr. Quentin King, according to ussnewyork.com. "It sends a message of America becoming stronger as a result, coming together as a country and ready to move forward as we make our way through the world."

The USS New York commemorates the 9/11 attacks through more than name and construction materials.  The ship’s crest includes an image of the twin towers behind a rising phoenix, and the USS New York motto is “Never Forget.”  In that spirit, it returned to the harbors of New York for the 10th anniversary of 9/11, when the 9/11 Memorial was dedicated.  Read more on New York Times’ City Room blog.

For a full history on the construction, christening and commissioning of the USS New York, visit ussnewyork.com.

By 9/11 Memorial staff 

There are many ways to experience the 9/11 Memorial, whether taking a guided tour filled with personal 9/11 stories or choosing an individual and private visit at the national place of honor and remembrance.

Take a Guided Walking TourTribute WTC Visitor Center at 120 Liberty St. offers tours of the 9/11 Memorial with guides who provide unique 9/11 perspectives.  Tribute Center’s walking tour guides are 9/11 survivors, lower Manhattan residents, recovery workers and volunteers who assisted in the recovery efforts, or family members who lost loved ones.  Tours begin at the Tribute Center and include a brief World Trade Center history, the events of the day and the aftermath of 9/11, while weaving in personal experiences of survival, loss and healing.  Each tour offers unique first-hand experiences and ends in discussion of the memorial and the rebuilding of the WTC site.  Learn more at tributewtc.org.

Make a Virtual VisitFor those interested in visiting the 9/11 Memorial but are unable to make it to New York City, the memorial’s website offers virtual experiences of the World Trade Center rebuilding.  Google Earth creates a virtual view of the WTC site, including an accurate 3D model that replicates key components of the memorial and other planned projects at the 16-acre site.  EarthCam’s webcam offers a live look at the memorial 24 hours a day. 

Have a Personal ExperienceFamilies, small groups and individuals looking for personal experiences at the 9/11 Memorial can get free passes to visit the memorial at 911memorial.org/visit.  Groups of 16 or more can also reserve free passes through the memorial’s group reservations line.  Visitors to the memorial can use the Memorial Guide located at kiosks throughout the site or download for free the Memorial Guide app to learn more about the victims and the names arrangement.

By 9/11 Memorial staff

Michael Arad, the architect of the National September 11 Memorial, returns to his alma mater Georgia Tech in Atlanta to share his experiences with students, faculty, and alumni, according to the Associate Press report.

 Arad earned a master’s degree in architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1999 and is now a partner at Handel Architects.  He worked as a New York City Housing Authority architect before his Memorial design “Reflecting Absence” was selected from a global competition that included more than 5,200 entries from 63 nations.

Arad’s lecture takes place Wed., Feb. 1, at 6 p.m. in the Reinsch-Pierce Family Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.  More information is available here.

By 9/11 Memorial staff