A relic of the fallen World Trade Center is in New York Harbor today, honoring in a vivid and lasting way the memory of those who died 10 years ago.
The USS New York is built around seven and a half tons of very special steel - girders recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Center. The U.S. Navy ship is a symbolic presence on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
William Herrmann, commander of the USS New York, said "It represents the resolve the U.S. has to overcome any obstacle, and it represents hope."
Many volunteer rescue workers risked their lives 10 years ago to save others at the World Trade Center disaster zone. They were invited to join the USS New York's crew to mark the anniversary of those tragic events.
Frank Silecchia drove from South Carolina to see the ship and express his gratitude to the servicemen and -women on the ship's crew. "I'm here to say thanks to these fine young men and women. They put their life on the line," he said.
The USS New York, an amphibious transport ship, was commissioned in 2009. It has 360 sailors, some of whom were only eight years old at the time of the 2001 attacks.
Sailor Ben McDowell, a USS New York crewman for more than two years, has a deep sense of pride in the ship and what it represents. "You put the steel in a warship [and] you've got a crew that exceeds expectations, what the Navy expects from us. I can't think of a better memorial," he said.
McDowell hopes all visitors to New York will feel safer when they see the USS New York keeping watch in the city's harbor, as a symbol of strength and national resolve.
