Firefighters association receives donations for memorial

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Matthew Hubby
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  The Eagle Firefighters Association has been hard at work planning and preparing their Sept. 11, 2001 memorial based on two pieces of World Trade Center steel they received from the New York Port Authority Aug. 10, 2010. The steel for the memorial are pieces of horizontal support beams believed to be from the 80th floor of Building 1 of the World Trade Center.

The monument they are constructing will be unveiled Sept. 11. The firefighters association is planning to place the memorial next to the base fire station. It will be visible from the flight line to passengers arriving at the passenger terminal.

"We really wanted it open to all," said Senior Airmen Joseph Wunische, 436th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter. "We want to make it stand out and put it somewhere everyone can see it. It is designed to represent everything that happened that day, not just the World Trade Center, but the Pentagon and Flight 93."

The largest challenge they face so far is funding. They need to raise $20,000 - $30,000 in order for the monument to become a reality.

"We have a lot of fundraisers planned," said Patti Bunch, 436 CES dispatcher. "We have one in the works right now where people can purchase an engraved brick that will be a part of the monument. We've received some donations from the local community, and we are looking to some off-base companies for donations of money, man-hours and materials."

The bricks will be sold for $50 - $100, depending on the amount of engraving, to help raise the funds required to build the memorial, said Rodney Coleman, 436 CES deputy fire chief. There is also the possibility for a T-shirt fundraiser as well.

The American Legion has also taken interest in the memorial and has donated $500 to the cause. "We also plan on speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars and other off-base non-profits," said Steve Kerr, 436 CES.

The memorial was designed by Airmen Wunische and is centered on two 8-foot-tall pillars that will hold the two horizontal pieces of World Trade Center steel pointed toward New York. Around the pillars will be five smaller pillars of brick, each representing a branch of the United States Armed Forces.

"This memorial isn't just to recognize firefighters," said Mr. Kerr. "We want it to represent all the victims of this tragedy. It affected our nation as a whole, so this monument is not dedicated just to firefighters or the military, but all the victims. We want this monument to hold a special meaning every time they come and see it."