The last three remaining artifacts from the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attack have been removed from Kennedy Airport’s Hangar 17 on Tuesday. The three massive chunks of steel and served as repositories for the remains of the still unidentified victims of the world-changing attack. The three totems include a 35,000-pound elevator motor, a 40,000-pound WTC parking structure column and a 40,000-pound TV North Tower antenna connector. The items will be removed from Hangar 17 and held in an undisclosed location until they are placed in nationwide exhibits.
John Hodge, CEO of the Tunnel to Tower Foundation commented on the significance of the items and the purpose they served. He told reporters.
“We firmly believe that these pieces contain, each and every one of them, all of those lost souls who were never found,”
A ceremony was held to “send off” the relics. The items were loaded on the trucks decorated with American flags and the items themselves were draped in flags. First responders from the FDNY, Port Authority, and other local and federal agencies attended the ceremony to play bag pipes and pay their respects to the civil servants and civilians killed in the terror attack.
FDNY Assistant Chief Joseph Pfeiffer told reporters that each one of the 2,500 9/11 related items that have been stored in Hangar 17 since the attack have been special and told a unique story that needs to be passed on to younger generations. He stated:
“Almost 15 years ago we watched planes aim and crash into the World Trade Center. And in that moment our world changed,” Pfeiffer said. “During the rescue operations this hangar was open to collect artifacts, steel so that we may never forget.”
The ceremony was capstoned with an emotional and heart wrenching performance of “God Bless America” performed by retired NYPD Officer Daniel Rodriguez
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