9/11 Memorial Aboard the USS Midway

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On September 11th, 2009, eight years after the terrorist attacks on America, people across the United States gathered at thousands of memorial tributes for those who perished that fateful day.  One such memorial gathering took place on deck of the USS Midway, harbored in San Diego, California.  Presented by the FDNY Retirees of San Diego, this ceremony included a Presentation of the Colors, a Pipes and Drums band, a fly over by the helicopters of the San Diego Fire Rescue Department, a 21 Gun Salute, and the playing of taps.

The highlight of the ceremony was the reading of the names of all of the victims, including those of the 343 FDNY firefighters who gave their lives to try to save others.  Underscoring the weight of their sacrifice, Mac McLaughlin the CEO of the USS Midway Museum told the crowd, "The people that we commemorate today went the opposite way.  As the thousands were fleeing, they continued to move into those burning buildings."  143 representatives from agencies such as the U.S. Boarder Patrol, the FBI, United and American Airlines, and local fire departments solemnly read the victims' names over a two hour period.

For the past six years, the FDNY Retirees of New York have hosted this memorial ceremony, and Jack Toale, one if its organizers and the event's Emcee, explains, "It keeps our promise not to let the West Coast forget that there was a 9-11 on the East Coast."  When asked about how hearing the names of the fallen each year makes him feel, Toale responds, "Hard.  It is even harder putting the list together...It usually takes four or five days to put the list together, and when I'm making the list I'm constantly looking at their faces."

After the ceremony the FDNY Retirees of New York hosted a dinner at the Fire House Museum in San Diego.

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