NYC's Sept. 11 Memorial to Honor Ground Zero Recovery Workers
- The Memorial and Museum plans to add permanent tribute
- Thousands responded and suffered illnesses from toxic dust
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 30: A firefighter pauses during a tribute at the 9/11 Memorial for recovery workers and first responders on the10-year anniversary of the formal end of cleanup operations at Ground Zero on May 30, 2012 in New York City. Thousands of men and women came to Ground Zero following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to help with the recovery effort. Numerous first responders, including police and fire fighters, have subsequently been plagued with health issues many believe are related to the air they breathed in the weeks and months following the attacks. The nine-month recovery effort at the site ended May 30, 2002.
Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesA permanent installation honoring World Trade Center rescue and recovery workers who risked their health in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will be added to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in lower Manhattan.
The tribute will be situated in a grassy glade on the southwest corner of the 8-acre plaza at Ground Zero, with memorial architect Michael Arad participating in its design, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office said in a news release. The announcement came on the May 30 anniversary of the day in 2002 when clearing of debris and intensive search for victims’ remains ceased, Memorial and Museum officials said in a news release.