NEW YORK, March 10 (UPI) -- At the exact moment six months Monday after the first hijacked plane hit the first World Trade Center tower -- 8:46 a.m. -- Gov. George Pataki is asking New Yorkers to observe a moment of silence. Two temporary World Trade Memorials will also be dedicated on the six-month anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
"Monday will mark the passage of six months since one of the darkest days in American history," Pataki said. "Whether it's in school, on the way to work, at home or on the job, or at places of worship, I urge all New Yorkers to pause for a moment of silent reflection on Monday."
"This moment of silence will provide an opportunity for all New Yorkers to honor the lives of those who perished, to reflect on how much we've lost and consider how much we have to be hopeful and thankful for since that terrible day," Pataki added.
Following the moment of silence, Pataki, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, surrounded by families of the victims', will make brief remarks at a memorial service in Historic Battery Park in Lower Manhattan.
The Fire Department of New York will conduct a ceremonial ringing of bells to commemorate the 343 firefighters lost in the line of duty on Sept. 11, the 60 police officers of the New York Police Department and of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the thousands of civilian lives lost.
"We don't need a lot of speeches," Bloomberg said on his radio program on WABC-AM Friday. "We need just something that symbolizes, reminds us, memorializes, gets us to pray and to think."
An interim memorial at Historic Battery Park includes "The Sphere," a 15-foot diameter, steel and bronze sculpture designed by Fritz Koenig to foster peace through world trade which sat atop a granite fountain in the center of the five-acre World Trade Center plaza before the attacks. It sustained a gash through its center but remained structurally intact.
The 25-minute memorial service will end with a second moment of silence to mark when the second hijacked airliner slammed into the second Twin Tower. At dusk Monday, a second memorial ceremony will be held as the "Tribute to Light" is lit, accompanied by opera singer Jessye Norman singing "America the Beautiful."
The twin beams will be lit by a 12-year-old girl who lost her mother in the attacks. The lights, which will remain lit until 11 p.m. each night for 32 days, consist of two banks of 44 spotlights which will rise an estimated one mile into the air near "Ground Zero" which will be able to be seen from about 20 miles away. The parallel beams of light are designed to placed the Twin Towers temporarily back in the New York City skyline.
The intention of the interim memorials is to provide all New Yorkers with a place to pay tribute to the memory of those we have lost in the tragic events of Sept. 11 and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, according to Bloomberg.
"Our hope is that the 'Tribute in Light' memorial provides a small amount of respite, and that 'The Sphere' memorial serves as a place to mourn and reflect," Bloomberg said.
The families of the World Trade Center victims will be allowed to attend the morning memorial providing they have proper identification and their case number used on the initial missing person's report.
However, there are many who do not want to face the loss and the memories of Sept. 11. Twelve New Yorkers contacted by United Press International who lost a loved one, who survived the attacks or who lived near Ground Zero refused to comment on the six-month anniversary.
"Monday will be a day to avoid, the memorials, the papers, the media, because it will be all over them and I don't want to see it," one World Trade survivor told UPI.
When endangered, the body responds neurochemically to propel the person to take protective action and survival becomes a neuro-biological as well as an emotional imperative, according to Kathleen Nader, who has a doctorate in social work. In the chaos, arousal, and propulsion to self-protect, actions may be taken that are later regretted. In the rush to escape or because of the nature of the event, people may be left behind; some who die. It may be essential to move quickly in order to prevent additional loss of life as well as to survive.
"This was true of Sept. 11 where some narrowly escaped fires or debris that killed others standing near them. Not knowing how much time there was to flee, some people rushed toward exits leaving behind those slower moving individuals such as pregnant women and the disabled. With so many dead, not knowing the fates of those left behind has resulted for some in guilt feelings," said Nader. "In contrast, others have struggled with the fact that their loved ones did stay behind to help others and were killed with those whom they attempted to save."
