Volunteer firefighters in York County, S.C., plan to build a public memorial with a piece of steel from the World Trade Center, according to The Herald.

According to the report, the Bethesda Volunteer Fire Department has been approved to receive a steel beam retrieved from the wreckage of the fallen twin towers. The community, which is about 180 miles southwest of Durham, joins other municipalities across the country that have requested the steel from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

"The beam - categorized among the thousands of huge and small pieces of steel at JFK Airport Hangar 17 as 'H-90' - is 14-feet long, an inch thick, 16 inches wide, 34 inches tall and weighs almost two tons" or more than 4,000 pounds, the report said.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Every day at the World Trade Center site is a new chance for us to make progress on the construction of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. And every week from now until the end of November is a new chance for you to help us win $200,000.

As we finish building America’s tribute to those killed in the World Trade Center terror attacks of 2001 and 1993, please click here to vote for us to win funding from Members Project. It’s free and easy to vote, and we need your support each week to win these much-needed funds. 

Take a good look and the two above images. On top is a recent photo of current construction on the project. Below it is an architectural rendering of the completed 9/11 Memorial. So many signature elements are already visible, bridging the gap between a concept and reality.

• Both of the Memorial Pools have been framed in steel, filled with concrete and are almost completely lined with granite stone.
• Between the pools, the Museum Pavilion’s steel is rising. The Twin Tower "tridents," two large steel remnants recovered from the North Tower façade, stand strong at the site today. With these two 50-ton artifacts in place, Pavilion construction can continue around them.
• At least 35 trees have been planted on the Memorial Plaza, bringing life back to the World Trade Center site. More than 400 trees will eventually take root at the site to create a vital new green space in New York City.

Help us make history by opening the Memorial on the tenth anniversary. Vote now >>

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

On this ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, we join together in solemn remembrance. Our hearts go out to the families and friends who should never have had to bear such tragic losses.

By remembering today the thousands of people killed nine years ago, who simply going about their everyday lives, we recognize ourselves in the story of 9/11 and our responsibility as survivors to overcome an atrocity that shook us to our core.  By remembering the more than 400 first responders who perished solemnly performing their sworn duty that day, we honor those who sacrifice for our enduring freedom, both here at home and overseas.

Today, we also remember how people around the world came together in the aftermath of the attacks to stand in solidarity against terrorism. It is in this same spirit that we come together once again to build a lasting 9/11 Memorial to honor the victims.

This time next year, we will dedicate the Memorial on the tenth anniversary of the attacks. Every day, we are moving closer to reaching this goal through real and visible progress. Two weeks ago, life began to grow at the World Trade Center with the arrival of the first 16 of more than 400 trees that will line the Memorial.

The trees will surround the acre-size waterfalls with structures that have already been built in the footprints of the Twin Towers, around which the names of the nearly 3,000 people killed on 9/11 will be incised in bronze.  Standing among these first trees, one can now truly envision the finished memorial: the canopy of leaves overhead, glowing stretches of bronze panels, cascades of water falling away from sight, a reverential calm within one of New York City’s busiest neighborhoods.

Life on the 9/11 Memorial site will continue to grow thanks to the hundreds of construction workers who know this project is much more than just another job; every day they build history on these eight acres at the sacred heart of the place known as Ground Zero.

We ask people around the world to join us in paying their respects to the victims today.  Next year, we will honor their memory by dedicating a memorial that will be testament that our shared humanity is stronger than the hate that sought to tear us down on 9/11.

Update:I'm humbled by the respectful responses to the words I've shared here with you today. Thank you for your comments. I encourage you to return to The MEMO blog as often as you like to learn more about the work here at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, including our commitment to honor the people who were killed in the terror attacks and to open the 9/11 Memorial next year on the 10th anniversary.

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

The first director of the World Trade Center and the man behind the twin towers' original construction recalled picking the architect for what were once the world's tallest buildings and his ongoing relationship with the Frenchman who walked a high wire strung between the two skyscrapers.

The WTC's first director, Guy Tozzoli, chatted Monday with museum staff of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. He was hired in 1962 by then-named Port Authority of New York to head the development, construction and management of the World Trade Center, a complex aimed to revitalize lower Manhattan.  He was responsible for the entire project and chose architect Minoru Yamasaki.

Yamasaki originally designed several 80-story towers for the site, but Tozzoli was persistent in increasing the design to feature twin 110-story buildings.  Tozzoli said he has the tendency to keep making things bigger, even now.

He now serves as president of the World Trade Center Association, an organization he founded in 1970 to connect countries through economic activity.  At its inception, the association had only 15 participants from 15 countries.  Today, there are 325 "World Trade Centers" in cites across 92 countries.  In 1999, Tozzoli was nominated by the South Korean and North Korean governments and was accepted as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work.

“I like what I do,” said Tozzoli, who at the age of 88 still heads the organization.

Tozzoli oversaw the World Trade Center in New York from its construction in the 1960's until its destruction on Sept. 11, 2001.  His office was located on the 77th floor of the North tower, and he enjoyed his time working there.  "I loved it," he said.

When speaking about the towers, Tozzoli said, “Windows on the World was my favorite place,” a restaurant he hopes to see recreated in one of the future towers.

Tozzoli also joked about his relationship with Philippe Petit, the French high-wire artist who “danced” across a tightrope between the twin towers in 1974.  The pair, who are now friends, speak at public lectures together.

“It’s really fun,” said Tozzoli, who loves sharing stories like Petit's high-wire act. “They become part of you," he said, still remembering the day mountain-climber George Willig scaled the 110 stories in 1977.

On Sept. 11, Tozzoli watch the towers he built burn and collapse while he was arriving late to work from the Holland Tunnel.

“I wanted to go down and be with the people,” he recalled.  But he was turned away after showing a police officer his credentials.  "He said, 'I don't care if you're the pope.'"

Now, Tozzoli said he wants “to help people do it all over again” and he said he's “looking forward” to visiting the 9/11 Memorial when it is completed next year.

Tozzoli also hopes to still be around when the new towers are finished.  He joked, "I'm older than God."

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