Oral historians at the Flight 93 Memorial in Somerset County, Pa., are in the process of transcribing more than 780 interviews that have been recorded to create a documentation collection for research and education that compliments exhibits at the planned Flight 93 Memorial, according to Essential Public Radio 90.5 in Pittsburg.

The oral histories include stories from those who were first on the scene, journalists covering the disaster, and the family members who received calls from loved ones as Flight 93 went down in a field in Shanksville.

Hear a sampling of oral histories that are part of the National September 11 Memorial Museum’s collection here.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff 

Since opening in September 2011, 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 has shared pictures visitors posted to the memorial’s Facebook wall and via Twitter, but thousands more photos are also available for viewing on Flickr.  A quick Flickr search for “National September 11 Memorial” yielded more than 4,000 photos as a result.  The Flickr map feature even lets users see where photos were taken while at the memorial.

 By 9/11 Memorial staff

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum is proud to issue our Year End Update, which remembers 2011's 10th anniversary commemoration of the 9/11 attacks and the historic dedication and opening of the 9/11 Memorial.

For the first time in 10 years, people from around the world have set foot on the 16 acres of the World Trade Center site, paying their respects at the 9/11 Memorial as the surrounding rebuilding rises around them. More than a million people have already come to honor, remember, and reflect on the 2,983 people whose names are forever inscribed in bronze at this sacred site.

On behalf of our Chairman, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, the Board of Directors, and our staff, we are tremendously grateful to our more than 900,000 supporters for embracing the 9/11 Memorial and for their dedication to helping us reach our goal of opening on the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

Best wishes for a healthy and happy new year. We hope to welcome you at the 9/11 Memorial soon.

By 9/11 Memorial staff

The National September 11 Memorial at the World Trade Center site has reached a major milestone of welcoming more than one million visitors since opening to the general public on Sept. 12, after its dedication for victims' families on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

In less than four months, people from all 50 states and more than 120 countries have reserved passes to visit the memorial.

"For 10 years, people were only able to walk the perimeter of the World Trade Center site, stealing glances at the progress through construction fences," 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels said. "As of today, more than one million people have returned to this sacred ground to pay their respects, and are able to witness the rebuilding of the World Trade Center all around them. It humbles us to see that the public's will to commemorate the victims of 9/11 is as strong as ever."

See Good Day New York’s interview with Daniels at MyFoxNY.com. 

By 9/11 Memorial Staff 

In October, Travel + Leisure magazine asked its readers to vote for their favorite new landmarks, and the National September 11 Memorial was honored with a nomination as the best new park or public space. Read more about it here.

The January issue of the magazine, which hits newsstands this week, announced the results of the survey.  The memorial took the No. 1 spot in its category, followed by Millennium Park in Chicago and Sands SkyPark at Marina Bay in Singapore.

The memorial was also named the No. 18 most-visited landmark in the world, with the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building rounding out the No.1 and No. 2 spots, respectively.

By 9/11 Memorial staff

Earlier this week, staff and exhibition designers for the 9/11 Memorial Museum previewed one of the first exhibits that would be experienced after entering the museum. The “We Remember” exhibit is a multimedia soundscape display that conveys the global nature of 9/11 and features overlapping voices of people around the world remembering where they were when they first heard the news of the 2001 terror attacks.

“The amazing technology being used in the ‘We Remember’ exhibit allows us to focus on the human dimension of history by narrating the personal stories behind these events, all while giving people a unique experience as they begin their journey through the museum,” said Alice Greenwald, 9/11 Memorial Museum director.

The museum has collected more than 7,000 recordings in at least 15 different languages for this introductory exhibit.  To contribute to “We Remember,” visitors to the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site at 20 Vesey St. can share their own 9/11 recollections in the on-site recording booths.

By 9/11 Memorial staff

Self-described political junkie, intrepid explorer and photographer Chase Guttman recently visited the 9/11 Memorial.  Read Guttman’s report and memories of being a kindergartener on 9/11, and see photos of his visit, all at huffingtonpost.com. 

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Since opening, the 9/11 Memorial has welcomed hundreds of thousands of 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.

Earlier this month, the MEMO blog shared some pictures visitors posted to the memorial’s Facebook wall.  See that post here, and take a look at some of these heartfelt moments recently posted to Twitter:

@chadiswell: At the 9/11 Memorial Tonight-beautiful and sobering (November 30, 2011)

@AutismIsARose: In NYC for the day. Reflecting and paying respects at the 9/11 Memorial (November 29, 2011)

@kakapies: 9/11 Memorial: remembering Flight 175 (November 29, 2011)@dlawless9: 9/11 Memorial is gorgeous (November 28, 2011)

Share your own memory by tagging the #911Memorial in your tweets, and follow the 9/11 Memorial at twitter.com/Sept11Memorial. 

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

On September 11, 2001, Port Authority Police Department Lt. David Lim was in the basement below the World Trade Center's South Tower with his K-9 partner Sirius when he felt the building violently tremble. Feeling duty-bound to assist potentially injured civilians, Lim took time to secure Sirius in his kennel and then went to investigate the disruption, telling his partner, "I'll be back for you."

After miraculously surviving the collapse of the North Tower, Lim's first instinct was to find Sirius, but he was rushed into an ambulance and brought to St. Vincent's Hospital for treatment of injuries he had sustained from the collapse. Unfortunately, Sirius was not as lucky as Lim. His remains, recovered in the winter of 2002 in the wreckage of the South Tower, were ceremoniously removed from Ground Zero with a full honor guard, in a manner befitting a hard-working member of the PAPD.

Recently, Lim donated items in memory of Sirius to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, including a training leash and one of Sirius' badges. Additionally, he gifted the soiled boots and gun belt that he had worn on September 11, 2001 as vestiges of his remarkable survivor story. To view more items in the museum's collection click here.

Items donated to the museum by Lim, including a training leash and one of Sirius' badges.

Soiled boots worn by Lim on 9/11, recently gifted to the museum by Lim.

Kim Wright, the director of marketing and reservations for the 9/11 Memorial, recently sat down with the MEMO blog to answer some frequently asked questions about visiting the memorial.

Q: Why are timed passes needed to visit the 9/11 Memorial?A: When you visit, you’ll see that construction continues at the World Trade Center site.  During this interim period in which the 9/11 Memorial’s visitor capacity is affected by surrounding construction projects, the temporary timed reservation system will help reduce potential wait times and ensure as many people as possible are able to visit.  We simply want to ensure that the visitor experience is safe and meaningful. The response has been remarkable. We have had more than 500,000 visitors in about two months.  

Q: Is there a charge for the passes?A: Passes to the memorial are free, but we need your help to ensure this sacred place is preserved for generations to come. When making an online reservation, consider making a donation with your reservation. You can also make an in-person donation at our Visitor Center upon exiting the memorial. Contributions are dedicated to developing and sustaining the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

Q: How should visitors get passes to the 9/11 Memorial?A: Reserving passes to the 9/11 Memorial is simple. Just visit 911memorial.org/visit, choose the date and time you’d like to visit, and select the number of people who are coming.  Fill in a few pieces of information, including the names of those visiting, and confirm.  We’ll email passes directly to you or you can choose to pick up the passes at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site located just a few blocks away from the memorial.  

Q: What if the time and date needed is not available?A: We regularly release passes online, so if your preferred date and time is not currently available, check back the afternoon before or the day you’d like to visit. We do, however, strongly recommend that you reserve passes as far in advance as possible to ensure you are able to visit when you’d like.  A limited number of passes for same-day visits are also available daily on a first-come, first-served basis at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site at 20 Vesey St. (at Church Street) beginning at 9 a.m., the NYC & Co. kiosk at City Hall and the NY Water Taxi booth at the South Street Seaport.

Q: What would you say to visitors who are unable to travel to the Memorial?A:  Through thoughtful innovations, we’ve developed other ways for people to experience the 9/11 Memorial and honor the people who were lost.  You can download the Memorial Guide and Explore 9/11 apps (both are free), explore content on the Make History website or browse the resources on our website including photo galleries, interactive timelines and more.  Our EarthCam webcam even gives you live views of the memorial 24/7, and you can always connect with the Memorial via Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Q: Any insider tips for MEMO readers?A: The 9/11 Memorial is meant to be experienced at all times of the day, so don’t discount those later availabilities.  In my opinion, the memorial can be at its most beautiful in the evening.   

For more answers to your questions about visiting the 9/11 Memorial, see our FAQ.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff