Reflecting on 9/11 at the Freedom Memorial in Naples

Do you remember where you were or what you were doing when 9/11/2001 happened? My recollection of that moment is still very vivid in my memory. It was Tuesday morning around 8:45 AM and I was just arriving at my office in Connecticut when someone yelled from the kitchen to turn on the television in the conference room.

The screen showed American Airlines Flight 11 as it barreled into the North Tower of the World Trade Center instantly killing hundreds of people. And the sky was vivid blue! The camera panned to the smoke-filled sky and down below where terrified people were looking upward stunned!

Everyone at the office began making frantic phone calls to families and friends. In this small town, almost everybody had a friend of a friend or a family member who worked at the World Trade Center or who commuted to New York City.

It’s been 21 years since September 11, 2001 and like everybody at that time, we promised we’d never forget! But we do forget; not the importance of that event or the emotions from the moment it happened, but we forget the many details of the events as it unfolded. We all forgot that by the end of that day – 9/11 – about 3,000 people died.

I’ve driven by the Freedom Memorial at the Freedom Park in Naples (at the Golden Gate Parkway) many times but never took the time to stop and visit. To beat the sun, my husband and I recently visited the Freedom Memorial. It was mid-morning and we were alone surrounded by all these memories. There was an eerie solemnity to the visit.

As my husband and I read the dozens of honorary bricks – it was not just 9/11 that awakened long dormant memories - but also the voices of family members and friends to loved ones who served in past wars came to life.

To the side of the Memorial are two World Trade Center Steel pieces dedicated to the innocent civilians and first responders who perished during 9/11. According to historical records, on that day, 2,996 people lost their lives during the attacks at the Pentagon, World Trade Center and the United Airlines Flight # 93.

On the backside of the Memorial are granite memorial benches. One of them is dedicated to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, when at 10:03 AM, United Airlines Flight 93 traveling from Newark,

New Jersey crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania leaving 40 passengers and crew members deceased.

The other bench is dedicated to the American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 that crashed into the South and North Towers of the World Trade Center which accounted for 2,753 deaths.

Here are samples of brick memorials:

IN MEMORY OF LAURENCE F. NEDELL.November 13th, 1948; September 11th, 2001, Tower Two, 102 Floor. He would have been 74 in November, 2022.

FDNY in Memory of FF Kevin Reilly L-40, September 11, 2001. Officers and Members of Engine 37 +Ladder 40.

In Loving memory of Tom Burnett who helped take down PA Flight # 93 on 911. Arlene and Chuck, Conal and Spencer Garrity.

May we Never Forget You!

Freedom Park is located at 1515 Golden Gate Parkway, Naples and is located just east of the intersection of Golden Gate Parkway and Goodlette-Frank Road and is managed by the Collier County Parks and Recreation Department.