NYPD’S message
The outpouring of emotion on the 9/11 anniversary includes a poignant message from New York’s Finest.
A tweet on Tuesday by the New York Police Department’s Midtown North Precinct talks about the day Americans’ world changed “forever.”
It urges: “Never miss a chance to let those held dearest know your love for them.” their losses had taken on their families. Thomas Langer said his brother, Timmy, “drank himself to death” after losing his wife, Vanessa, and their unborn child on Sept. 11.
“I witnessed my brother endure the pain that no one human being was ever meant to bear,” Langer said.
Memorials to 9/11 continue to grow at Shanksville, where a newly dedicated Tower of Voices will eventually include a wind chime for each of the 40 people killed there, and ground zero, where work is to begin soon on a pathway honoring rescue and recovery workers.
It will serve as a way to recognize those who became sick or died from exposure to toxins released when the Trade Center’s twin towers collapsed. Researchers have documented elevated rates of respiratory ailments, post-traumatic stress disorder and other illnesses among people who spent time in the rubble.
About 38,500 people have applied to a compensation fund, and over $3.9 billion in claims have been approved.
Victims’ families, too, have evolved and grown.
“Even though I never met you,” Isabella Del Corral said of her slain grandfather, Joseph Piskadlo, “I’ll never forget you.”
Contact Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@reviewjournal. com or 202-662-7391. Follow @Debrajsaunders on Twitter. The Associated Press contributed to this report.