Steel from Twin Towers displayed in powerful Massachusetts 9/11 memorials
The 9/11 memorials in both Acton and Plymouth, Massachusetts, each displaying a piece of steel from the Twin Towers, are a solemn reminder of how precious life is.
"I saw those towers come down and the tears just started coming out of my eyes," Dick Quintal of Plymouth said.
Retired New York firefighter Carl Scheetz has been cutting thousands of pieces out of the steel for memorials that have gone out across the world, including here in Acton and Plymouth.
"I knew 100 of 343 that were lost that day," he said.
"Did I crawl over this steel?"
Acton Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Anita Arnum was part of the Massachusetts Search and Rescue Task Force dispatched to New York to look for survivors. She says the piece of steel in front of the public safety building is something she looks at every day.
"I remember crawling over the steel and looking at this, did I crawl over this steel? I don't know," she said. "Obviously, we want to never forget the heroism of the flight crews, the responders, police, fire, EMS and all the people who helped support us while we were down there."
Acton lost two residents on 9/11: Philip Rosenzweig and Madeline "Amy" Sweeney, who were both on American Airlines Flight 11 that crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
"Amy was a flight attendant who called into flight operations and gave descriptions of the hijackers and was instrumental in finding out who they were and what was going on," Arnum said.
Remembering those lost in 9/11
In 2004, Quintal began erecting this 9/11 memorial on his own property on Spooner Street in Plymouth before he turned the land and the memorial over to the town.
"It means a lot to have that beam here in Plymouth ... God only knows who might have touched that beam," Quintal said.
He says his memorial is the first 9/11 memorial ever built in the country that lists all the names of those who perished on that horrific day.
The memorial is also in memory of Jennifer Lynn Kane of Plymouth, who lost her life in the World Trade Center.
"I've come to know her dad George, and mom Fay and brother Tim. Just like family," Quintal said.
Whether joining the front lines of first responders or erecting a memorial for those who perished, the impact of this horrific day is being felt in many cities and towns across the state.
"I had more people come to this site and look me up and thank me in tears," he said.
