New Memorial Recalls Chaos and Hope of 9/11

Several hundred people gathered Tuesday in Ocean City on a crisp September evening reminiscent of that beautiful day 11 years ago that will forever be remembered for tragedy.

They came to remember those who died in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The 500 block of Asbury Avenue was closed to accommodate the crowd there to see the dedication of a memorial sculpture on the grounds of the Ocean City Fire Department headquarters. The artwork incorporates an I-beam pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center in New York City after the attacks.

The sculpture includes eight pieces of stainless steel rising in different directions from the steel girder.

Artist José Chora said he tried to capture the "chaos of the day" with the artwork. But as people approach the sculpture to see the World Trade Center artifact, their eyes are drawn upward, representing a "sense of hope," Chora said.

Chora is co-owner of the Somers Point gallery Chora Leone and creator of the  in front of the . He worked with Ocean City's nonprofit Community Art Projects (CAP) in creating the sculpture.

The chaos of 9/11 and the hope of the enduring freedoms that Americans came to cherish and protect in the wake of the attacks were themes of dedication remarks during an hour-long ceremony.

Repeating a line that then President George W. Bush spoke on the night of Sept. 11, 2011, Mayor Jay Gillian said, "These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve."

"Today, we gather as a community to dedicate a memorial sculpture featuring a piece of that very steel," Gillian continued. "It was dented that terrible day, but it now serves as the centerpiece of this sculpture. A sculpture which future generations will visit and be reminded of everything 9/11 meant."

Gillian later quoted French painter Georges Braque: "Art is a wound turned into light."

"With that, let's light this piece of art," Gillian said as he called the young members of the audience to help him count down toward the illumination of the new sculpture.

The ceremony featured remarks from Fire Chief Chris Breunig and Police Chief Chad Callahan, who each recognized military veterans in their departments. Breunig also honored retired Capt. William McDonnell and firefighters Brad Wiltshire and Brian Green for their assistance in searching the rubble of the World Trade Centers for survivors in September 2001.

The program also included: a flag salute led by American Legion Post 524 Commander Bob Marzulli and VFW Post 6650 Commander Michael Morrissey; the National Anthem sung by Miss New Jersey Lindsey Petrosh; an invocation and remarks by the Rev. John Jamieson, the chaplain for the Ocean City Fire Department; 'Amazing Grace' performed by the Sandpiper bagpipers including Jack Meehan, Jeff MacNeil and Rick Lindsay; a benediction by Dr. Richard Stanislaw of the Ocean City Tabernacle; and 'God Bless America' performed by fourth-grader Julia Wilson.