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September 11: Bearing Witness to History
Open through January 1, 2006 Last Chance to View!
Four years after the shocking terrorist attacks in the United States, Americans continue to connect to the events of September 11. The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) presents "September 11: Bearing Witness to History," an interactive, commemorative exhibition that encourages visitors to not only reflect on the specific events of that horrific day, but also to contemplate the significance of experiencing an historic event as it unfolds.
Comment cards from visitors to "September 11: Bearing Witness to History" were sent to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History to become part of a permanent archive. Here we share a few observations from our visitors.
"A friend and her family live in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. The young teen daughter was home from school that day. They went to the waterfront to look at the buildings burning. The teen told me later, 'I could see pieces of the building falling all the way down.' She looked at me and I looked at her. We both knew she meant people, not pieces of the building. But we didn't talk about that." Submitted by a woman, age 47
"Words cannot express how September 11th changed my life. But I live with a different purpose now; to be happy in all that I do, all that I am and in what I can offer to others. Nothing for me is or ever will be as terrible as September 11th. My brother?s memory gives me strength with each day. I am after all, sister of Raymond J. Metz III." Posted by a woman, age 40, who lost her beloved brother
"This is my second time viewing the exhibit--once in LA and now in Lexington, MA. The horror floods back to me. The knot in my stomach reappears. It's difficult to take our safety for granted anymore. Years of unnecessary war make me feel less safe than before 9/11. When will the fear end? Not during my lifetime." Views of a woman, age 56
"What I saw that day is something I would never forget. Witnessing and surviving a disaster of that magnitude is not easy. Survivors keep moving on but the memories will never leave us. I started a support group for survivors, www.3wtc.org." Written by a woman who escaped from the World Trade Center
The traveling exhibition opened at the National Heritage Museum in Lexington, Massachusetts on September 11, 2005. The exhibition will remain on view through January 1, 2006.
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