9/11 Tribute Float

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Commemorating those who lost their lives and those who survived the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the 9/11 Tribute Float, 'Remember, Reflect, Renew' will be featured on January 1, 2011 in the 122nd Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California.

The 9/11 Tribute Float is sponsored by the Los Angeles County Firemen's Benefit & Welfare Association and has three distinct parts. "What we tried to do on the float is bring out the three events that happened on 9/11 from Flight 93 in Pennsylvania to the Pentagon to the World Trade Center," explained Jerry Thomsen, President of the Los Angeles County Firemen's Benefit & Welfare Association and Engineer with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

It all began on New Year's Day 2010 when the Thomsen's were watching the parade and realized there had never been a float to honor everyone involved in the 9/11 tragedy. Jerry Thomsen explained, "I went back to New York two weeks right after 9/11 and going back there visiting fire stations, attending funerals, I stood at Ground Zero, and it was very emotional for me. For nine years, this is something I wanted to do. I wanted to remember them. Back there in New York, the two words that I heard were 'Never Forget'."

Chairman of the 9/11 Tribute Float Committee, Merrie Thomsen added, "Jerry and I have no personal connection to 9/11. We made a promise, and our promise was to 'Never Forget'.  And for family members and survivors this is our promise. We're keeping our promise."

A fire hydrant that was pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center near WTC Building 7 will be the centerpiece of the 9/11 Tribute Float.##It was not a simple task getting a float in the parade.  The process involved completing an application and undergoing an interview before the Thomsen's float was approved to be a part of the event.

Jerry Thomsen claimed that he was approached by five different builders and after communicating with them, he realized that he had the same vision as Charisma Floats, which was ultimately selected to build the 9/11 Tribute Float. Raul R. Rodriguez, an award winning float designer who designed 14 of the 41 floats in the 2011 Tournament of Roses, contacted Jerry Thomsen and stated that he would love to be part of the creation of this tribute float.

Rodriguez explained, "The Rose Parade this year, our theme is 'Building Dreams, Friendships and Memories', and I think a better tribute couldn't be presented on New Year's morning than what we will have from this float. I've been designing for the Rose Parade for a few years and had great pleasures of seeing so many designs come to life and this is one that I think is really important for all of us, for the country and for us to remember."

There will be five people riding on the float including a mother of a firefighter that died in the collapse of Tower 2 and the sister of Betty Ann Ong, a flight attendant on Flight 11, the first plane that crashed into the World Trade Center, who alerted the world to the hijackings.

According to Cathie Ong-Herrera, her sister Betty Ann provided detailed information about what was going on inside the plane at the time of the attacks for 25 minutes. "She helped identify the hijackers by their seat numbers, which is how we were able to know who the hijackers were right away," explained Ong-Herrera. 

"This is America's Float, this is the survivors float, this is the family member's float, this is our float, because we as a nation will 'Never Forget'," remarked Merrie Thomsen.

An average float in the parade will cost more than $200,000. For more information on how to donate to help with the cost of the float or to volunteer for the decorating of the float, visit www.911RoseFloat.com.

Contributors To This Story:
Barbara Brooks - Video Report
Joseph Cusick - Camera/Editor
Renee Marquart - Text Story




Author:B. Brooks, J. Cusick, R. Marquart - FDNNTV.com