This summer I have been given more practical knowledge and firsthand experience of security and law enforcement matters than any college-level course could provide. As the security intern, I have had the pleasure to work directly for Larry Mannion, the vice president of security, fire and life safety, and the directors of security operations at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. As a criminal justice and security major at Pace University, this opportunity has been invaluable to me as I connect and apply my knowledge from the classroom to the Memorial’s daily security operations.

The exceptionally qualified and connected people who make up the security team have provided me with hands-on experience from the point of view of a large private security provider, as well as from the perspective of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. It is inspiring to see the collaboration of these agencies along with the more than 300 employees of the Memorial dedicated to protecting and serving the site, which hosts thousands of visitors per day.

The staff has taken an active interest in my learning by encouraging me to challenge myself to be a critical thinker, increase my knowledge and improve my analytical perspective. My daily tasks as an intern include attending security related meetings, creating metrics for tracking security concerns, record maintenance and reviewing data for archiving.

During my time here, I received CPR and AED certification by the American Heart Association. I’ve also had the opportunity to observe the in-depth planning processes for high profile VIP and dignitary visits, such as Pope Francis, who will be visiting in September. I was present during several security meetings with the NYPD, PAPD, FBI, Secret Service and the 9/11 security team. It has been a privilege to witness these agencies interacting for the purposes of protecting these grounds.

I am so grateful for the experience I’ve had during my internship this summer, mostly because it has expanded my view of the world. There is no place with greater professionalism and integrity than the 9/11 Memorial and I am so honored to have been able to be a part of it.

By Georgia Bender, 9/11 Memorial Security Intern

Hot dog stands, food trucks and street cart vendors are all part of New York City’s vibrant landscape. In his photograph "Johnny Perna's Hot Dog Truck," Jonathan C. Hyman documents an old bus-turned-food-truck parked at a Staten Island bus stop. The food truck, painted with the Twin Towers, two silhouettes of first responders and an American flag in the background, is a mobile memorial to those killed in the 9/11 attacks. Listen to an audio clip below of Hyman discussing the reasons behind why he photographed this scene and explain the story of this unique memorial.

(Audio)

This photograph is on view in an exhibition titled Beyond Ground Zero: 9/11 and the American Landscape at the 9/11 Memorial Museum. The photographs in this exhibition document improvised memorials that emerged in public and private spaces within days of the attacks, and continually for years thereafter.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Fire Chief Peter J. Ganci Jr. ended up beneath the rubble of the fallen tower, his emergency radio busted in the collapse.

FDNY’s highest-ranking uniformed officer pulled himself from what remained of the South Tower and grabbed another multichannel radio. After ordering his men to establish a command post farther away, the undeterred Ganci stood in front of the North Tower and used the radio he found to continue the 9/11 rescue effort, saving thousands of lives.

Ganci, who also told then-Mayor Giuliani to clear out, was killed in the North Tower collapse. He commanded the rescue effort up until his final moments. 

"When the tower came down, he got his men out," Giuliani said in a New York Times story published Sept. 16, 2001. "He sent them north, and he went south–right into the danger–to get more of them out."  

Ganci’s multichannel radio and other FDNY artifacts are on display at the 9/11 Memorial Museum, where his story, and those of other first responders, are shared with the world.

This year, the city of New York is recognizing the 150th anniversary of the FDNY. Like the museum, the city’s commemoration of the department and its members is spreading awareness of the storied agency and honoring the courage and sacrifice of the men and women who serve.   

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

The 9/11 Memorial invites visitors to join in celebration of the Fourth of July by placing an American flag in the parapets of the memorial pools.

Flags will be handed out by 9/11 Memorial staff beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday until all flags have been distributed.

This Father’s Day we remember the many sacrifices fathers make for their children and families. On 9/11, many fathers went to work like any other day to provide a better life for their loved ones.On Father’s Day, June 17, 2001, Rescue Company 4 in Queens suffered a loss of two firefighters in a hardware store fire. Capt. Brian Hickey suffered injuries that caused him to stay out on medical leave until September 5, 2001. 

Hickey’s children (l-r) Kevin Hickey, Jaclyn LaBarbera, Dennis Hickey (d. 2011), Daniel Hickey

On only his second tour back to work since the Father’s Day fire, Brian, then a father of four, was called to the World Trade Center on 9/11. He died amongst many other fathers that day.

Almost 14 years later, his children have grown to adults. The youngest graduated from college this spring. Hickey would have been a grandfather to four young children. The names of many fathers are etched in bronze on the 9/11 Memorial. This is just one story of many. There is so much to learn about strength, courage and fearlessness from our fathers.

By Angela Sheridan, Director of Web and Digital Strategy

Lou Mendes is the Executive Vice President of Design, Construction and Facilities at the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Mendes is one of three 9/11 Memorial Museum staff members who worked on both the recovery effort at Ground Zero and the construction and operation of the Memorial and Museum.  Below is a recount from Mendes. 

On 9/11, I was the Assistant Commissioner for Special Projects with the New York City Department of Design and Construction.  

After the towers collapsed, I got a call from the commissioner of the DDC telling me to come down and bring as much logistics personnel as possible so we could put a plan together to start moving forward. It was a spectacle when I saw what was happening. I kind of thought the world was ending with all the people running out of Manhattan. We all met at 1 Police Plaza, and I thought I was in the middle of a movie. It was just unbelievable.  

It was an evolving situation that became a very mechanized operation. I ran the field operations for the DDC.

At the beginning, no one understood what was taking place. It  was kind of surreal for everyone. The first days were about saving people. Unfortunately after the first month, we realized that we had to move on to another phase of the operation and put together a plan to remove everything out of the World Trade Center complex in a way that it was safe, that was feasible from an engineering standpoint, and protected various other pieces of the structure such as the slurry wall. 

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By 9/11 Memorial Staff