Thomas Daschle: “Tomorrow, in New York, at the Pentagon, in Shanksville, PA, and in communities all across our Nation, Americans will…”

“Tomorrow, in New York, at the Pentagon, in Shanksville, PA, and in communities all across our Nation, Americans will pause to remember the horror and the extraordinary heroism of September 11. Commemoration ceremonies will be held in firehouses, VFW halls, parks, churches, synagogues, mosques, libraries, and countless other places. Surely one of the most poignant remembrance events is an exhibit that is being held through Sunday at a small art gallery in New York City, not far from where the twin towers once stood. It is an exhibit of artwork by children who lost family members--mostly parents--when the towers came crashing down. We all lost so much, so quickly, on that terrible day. But few lost more than the children of September 11. Three thousand children lost a parent in the terrorist attacks on America. Nearly two dozen of those children never met their fathers; they were born after September 11. Many thousands more children lost someone close to them: a grandparent, a brother or sister, an aunt or uncle. Over the last 3 years, 400 of the children of September 11 have sought comfort, strength, and answers in therapy programs offered by the WorldTrade Center Family Center at South Nassau Communities Hospital on Long Island. The exhibit this weekend showcases art these children have created during their therapy sessions.”