"A Living History: The Stories Behind 9/11 Artifacts" is a three-part series written by oral historian Jenny Pachucki of the 9/11 Memorial Museum and edited by Meghan Walsh, communications associate for the 9/11 Memorial. "Gloves" is part 1 of 3 in the series.

David Brink, a NYPD emergency services unit detective, donated three pairs of gloves to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, each telling a different yet equally powerful story.

One pair - now blackened with soot - was the set he wore on 9/11.  As the 110-story buildings were falling on top of him, he put his gloved hands to his face to protect against suffocating dust.  These gloves reflect what it was like to be trapped in the huge black cloud created by the destruction of the skycrapers.

A second pair that Brink donated tells a very different story.  The set is the heavy work gloves he picked up at the “hospitality tent” during the period of recovery and rescue.  At the tent, workers could take all sorts of goods and supplies that were donated from across the country.  Brink took a pair he thought looked particularly warm.  While working on the wreckage pile, he discovered the words “Thank you!” written in black marker across the palms of the gloves.

He told the museum anytime he was working and discouraged, he'd look down at the writing on his gloves and think “these could be from some kid in Iowa, or some housewife in California who were rooting for us and appreciated us, and it gave me the boost I needed to keep working.”

Jenny Pachucki, Oral Historian for the 9/11 Memorial Museum

"A Living History: The Stories Behind 9/11 Artifacts" is a three-part series written by oral historian Jenny Pachucki of the 9/11 Memorial Museum and edited by Meghan Walsh, a communications associate for the 9/11 Memorial. The following is a preview to the series, which begins Tuesday, July 13.

The collection of artifacts recently spread out on a table before the 9/11 Memorial Museum's curators and exhibitions team stirred their enthusiasm.  They couldn't contain their excitement when, last month, NYPD detective David Brink donated items steeped in the history of the Sept. 11 attacks. Brink responded to the attacks on Sept. 11 and immediately began evacuating civilians to safety. He survived the collapse of both twin towers, narrowly escaping with his life.  Brink worked the duration of the rescue and recovery effort at ground zero, and he saved everything that he possible could that would tell his story. 

“Brink is what we like to call a ‘curator’s dream come true,’” said Jenny Pachucki, oral historian for the 9/11 Memorial Museum. The variety of Brink's donated artifacts will truly help curators tell the story of recovery, survival and lost.

 A couple weeks ago, Brink packed articles and items he saved from 9/11 into a large suitcase and came to the memorial offices in lower Manhattan, where he donated them to the museum's collection. 

Brink’s collection includes World Trade Center steel, NYPD helmets and gear worn on Sept.11, and tools used during rescue and recovery operations at ground zero. Over the next three days, read about these artifacts and Brink on The MEMO blog.

By Jenny Pachucki, Oral Historian for the 9/11 Memorial Museum

In case you missed it: Ashen, tattered and blowing in the wind, the torn United States flag was recovered after the World Trade Center crumbled.  The flag was stitched back together several years later and grew into a symbol that reinforces the same commitment to service and volunteerism experienced across the country and world on Sept. 12, 2001.

Led by founder Jeff Parness, volunteering organization New York Says Thank You is ensuring the the flag is restored to its original state.  On the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the flag will embark on a national tour to be restitehced to its original glory. The first stop for the National 9/11 Flag will be Mena, Ark., where New Yorkers and more than 1,000 volunteers will help  rebuild this tornado-ravaged town. A stitching ceremony will be held there, and others across the country, until the 20-foot-by-30-foot flag is fully restored.

After the flag makes its journey across America, it will return to New York City, where it will be added to the permanent collection of the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Fox 5 News (above) reported on the flag during an unfurling ceremony in lower Manhattan.

"We are honored to accept The National 9/11 flag, which has grown to become a symbol of hope and a sign of survival," 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels said in a recent unfurling ceremony held near the future site of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. "The Museum will ensure that future generations understand the history of compassion and volunteerism arising from the 9/11 attacks. This flag is part of that story and reminds us of the tremendous capacity of the human spirit."

By Michael Frazier, Sr. Communications Manager for the 9/11 Memorial

Local photographer, Helena V., captured 9/11 history during her visit to the World Trade Center site in 2006, during the 5th year anniversary of the attacks.  While walking around ground zero, she took photographs of messages left by passersby and visitors expressing their sorrow, support and hope. 

“As an artist, I think it is very important to document these visual voices because people are attempting to publicize their thoughts for others to read, think and learn,” Helena V. said.  “Since these words don't have a very long life span, because city crews clean up these expressions, I feel that it is my duty to document these words so I can exhibit and publish them for others to appreciate.”

Helena V. has been working in professional photography since 2007.  Her current project is a fine art photo concept titled “The Museum of Messages.”  This project, which began in 1999, she said, is a collection of “photographs of messages that people write in urban landscapes about the environment, love, politics, humor, fear, expression, loyalty and more.”  Some of the messages from the trade center site are part of this collection.

Helena V. has also lived in New York since 1999.

“After September 11, 2001, New York City was a completely different place,” she said.  “It was the first time in my life, for a short period of time, that I felt uncomfortable falling asleep in the Big Apple.  However, that sense did change, and I feel that we have recovered from that experience as a stronger and bolder metropolis.”

Those same sentiments are expressed in many of the messages Helena V. captured during her time at ground zero.  Most of of the messages were written on signs posted around the site that said, “Post no bills.” 

A particularly strong message that Helena V. remembers is one that read, “Five years later you can still feel something in the air.  Never forget.  May 12, 2006.”

Images: The first photograph (left) is a message of love and support from Canada.  The second photo reads, "If we only had peace."

By Meghan Walsh, Communications Associate for the 9/11 Memorial

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the multiple suicide bombings on July 7, 2005, that killed 52 people in London. The terror attacks occured on three subway cars and a bus.

"It was a dreadful day, but it is also a day that will remain, I believe, a symbol of the enduring bravery of the British people," Prime Minister David Cameron told the House of Commons, according to an Associated Press report.

A day before the London bombing anniversary, Queen Elizabeth II of England  visited the World Trade Center site, where the 9/11 Memorial is being completed to pay tribute to the 2,982 lives lost on Sept. 11.  She was greeted by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who serves as chairman of the 9/11 Memorial; 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels and others. It was the queen’s first visit to the site, also known as ground zero, and it was her  first trip to New York City since 1976

The Queen's presence at the site of the 9/11 attacks and today's anniversary of the London bombings underscores that terrorism can occur on any continent, in any city or community. But born from these atrocities on America's East Coast and London was a shared resolve.  Both cities and their leaders have pledged to combat terrorism and intolerance.

Daniels, who spoke briefly with the queen on her tour of the site, once said of the London bombings:

"That day was a horrible reminder of what we experienced here in New York City on September 11, 2001, and February 26, 1993. In the wake of the London bombings, many did whatever they could to show support for the British, just as the world community had done for Americans after 9/11. As the U.S. Army band played God Save the Queen in Washington, DC, condolence messages, tributes, and flowers were left at British embassies and consulates around the world. Our thoughts and prayers centered on the victims, their families, and the survivors. It hit home that the acts perpetrated in London were an assault on all those who treasure the freedom to live without fear."

In the coming months, the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks will be recognized. Spend today remembering those who died in terroristicacts in London.  Visit the UK's official website, and learn more about the permanent memorial built in Hyde Park honoring the victims of the July 7, 2005, bombings. The memorial is comprised of 52 stainless steel pillars, representing each victim.

By Michael Frazier, Sr. Communications Manager for the 9/11 Memorial

Thomas Hegghammer, senior fellow at the Norwegian Defense Research Institute, discusses his research on violent jihadists in Saudi Arabia, and their failure to overthrow the Saudi system

Thomas Hegghammer, senior fellow at the Norwegian Defense Research Institute, discusses his research on violent jihadists in Saudi Arabia and their failure to overthrow the Saudi system.  He is the author of  "Jihad in Saudi Arabia: Violence and Pan-Islamism since 1979."

Hegghammer is currently a member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and an associate at Harvard Kennedy School.  He holds a doctorate in political science from Sciences-Po in Paris and a masters of arts and masters of philosophy in Middle Eastern Studies from Oxford University.  Hegghammer's research focuses on jihadi ideology, jihadism on the Arabian Peninsula and the history of the foreign fighter phenomenon.

The continuing impact of the attacks of Sept. 11 on the United States and the global community is explored throughout this webcast series. Investigations into and conversations about the events of 9/11 open up important questions about values, security, culture and politics.

This series was produced exclusively for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and is hosted by Clifford Chanin, Senior Program Advisor at the Memorial Museum. Each month new interview segments will be posted on this section of the website.  If you missed May's webcast, you can find it on The MEMO Blog.

By Meghan Walsh, Communications Associate for the 9/11 Memorial

A New York Times'  interactive panorama shows the progress of the 9/11 Memorial pools at the World Trade Center site. The pools will sit within the footprints of the original twin towers and are expected to produce the largest man-made waterfalls in the country.  Ten large pumps will create 40 pounds of pressure to circulate 52,000 gallons of water per minute for the artificial falls.

This is a rendering of how the pools will look when the 9/11 Memorial opens September 11, 2011.

By Meghan Walsh, Communications Associate for the 9/11 Memorial

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom will be visiting the World Trade Center site today as part of her North American tour to pay tribute to the 2,982 lives lost on 9/11.  This will follow her weeklong trip to Canada.  

This will be the queen’s first visit to the site, also known as ground zero and the site of the 9/11 Memorial, which will open September 11, 2011.  It is also the queen's first trip to New York City since 1976.

The queen will be accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip.  The queen’s son, Prince Charles, and his wife, Camilla, visited ground zero in 2005.  Prince Harry, the son of Prince Charles, visited last year and laid a wreath on the site during a charity event.

During the trip, the queen will be visiting The British Garden at Hanover Square, which memorializes the 67 British citizens who lost their lives on Sept. 11.

In honor of the visit, the Alliance for Downtown New York has proposed top ten "royal experiences" the queen can do during her visit to lower Manhattan.

Some of the Downtown Alliance's recommended sites and activities for the queen include a trip down Broadway to see the Canyon of Heroes, a visit to Stone Street, the Fraunces Tavern Museum, Castle Clinton, the South Street Seaport, as well as a free ride around downtown, luxury shopping on Wall Street, and high tea in the Financial District.

The queen is also scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly today.

By Meghan Walsh, Communications Associate for the 9/11 Memorial

Displaying Old Glory: Members of the FDNY and volunteers unfurl a U.S. flag recovered from ground zero that was stitched back together several years later with parts of other American flags. (Photo by Michael Frazier)

Like Americans across the country, today I'm celebrating July 4th with family and friends.  And like you, sometime between the barbeques and the fireworks, I’ll be sure to pause to remember the values upon which our country was founded, and for which so many young men and women have given their lives.

This spirit of defending freedom no matter the cost, is the same spirit that exists here at the World Trade Center site in New York City, as I watch the building of the 9/11 Memorial.

We all remember the days and weeks after 9/11, when we saw something unbelievable emerge from the tragic scenes at ground zero, the Pentagon, and Somerset County, Pennsylvania: a sense of American pride and unity that swept across the country.

This is a project in which the entire nation is truly invested.  Hundreds of workers at the site are helping to ensure the opening of the Memorial in time for the 10th anniversary of the attacks.  Hundreds of thousands of individuals from all 50 states and 37 countries have generously donated in support. Millions more will visit the 9/11 Memorial when it opens to join in remembrance.

I wish you a safe and happy holiday and God bless the United States of America.

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

In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, American citizens were extremely passionate about displaying flags and related patriotic merchandise in public. Newspapers like the New York Times even provided colorful printed American flag inserts that could be used for window display. Flags quickly grew more abundant throughout homes and business across the nation.

An artist and Long Island restaurateur, Ziggy Attias, recognized the cultural phenomenon of collecting American flags, and he began noticing that many, over time, had accidentally been blown off cars and scattered along the sides of roads and highways.  One of these roads was Sunrise Highway in eastern Long Island.  Attias had spotted a torn and weathered flag that was lying on the shoulder, and he decided to go get it.

“When I spotted the first flag, I knew that I had to pull over and retrieve it,” Attias said in a personal statement to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.  “As soon as I picked the flag up, it seemed to have huge significance and marked by history.  This was not just any flag; it was within a much larger context.”

Soon, Attias found it his personal mission to collect such flags, which had been left behind.

“It was a sad cold winter after 9/11 and seeing our flag like that would have only made it worse,” he said.  “Gradually, I began to see more flags on the side of the road, and I found myself seeking a glimpse of the red, white and blue markings as I drove to work.”

Attias collected these flags throughout the winter of 2002.

“I found flags in many sizes, and at times, just fragments,” he said.  “Some were stuck in bushes or trees, some mixed in with trash, some wet and muddy, others frozen in ice.  As one flag gradually became a collection of many, the significance of them and all they represented grew.”

Attias recently donated his collection of approximately 150 American flags, of varying sizes and conditions, to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, which is scheduled to open in 2012

“As a country, we were beat up as was our flag, yet, we are still here, and 'our flag was still there,'” he said.

Update:  Here is a link to 27east's coverage of Attias' story.

By Meghan Walsh, Communications Associate for the 9/11 Memorial