Dear Families and Friends,

Voices of September 11 offers our deepest sympathies to the victims of the terrorist attacks this morning in London . Our thoughts and prayers are with those who perished, and we offer our condolences to their families and friends. Our hearts also go out to all those who suffered physical injuries or experienced the emotional effects of such a tragic and life changing event.

We join all people of good will in condemning this latest assault on innocent lives. This latest attack again shows that no nation or group is immune to the danger of terrorism, and reaffirms VOICES' conviction that people of all nations must join together to build a just and lasting peace for the future. If you are in the US and concerned that a friend or family member was affected by today's bombing, please call the US State Department hotline at 1-888-407-4747.

VOICES has mental health professionals and staff members available for anyone needing additional support. Please contact our office at 866-505-3911 or 203-966-3911 to speak with a mental health professional or register for a teleconference group.Or contact us by e-mail: info@voicesofsept11.org. We encourage you to also use our bulletin board at http://www.voicesofsept11.org/bbs.php to support each other and send messages to the people of London.

Warm Regards,

Mary Fetchet

Building Bridges

The attacks in London Thursday show once again that terrorism is an international evil that can only be combated through a cooperative international effort. To help create alliances with people around the world affected by terrorism, VOICES began the Building Bridges Project earlier this year. The project takes its name from the maxim: “We are all given stones in life, but do we use them to build a wall or build a bridge?” As part of Building Bridges’ efforts to reach out to victims of terrorism in other countries, VOICES started a program last month to send over 350 teddy bears to the families of the Beslan, Russia school attack victims.

On last Monday evening, a group of VOICES 9/11 family members visited the Russian Embassy in Washington to formally launch the bears on their way to Beslan. The event was coordinated by Senator Joseph Lieberman's office, although he was unable to attend because of the death of his mother. VOICES members were given a tour of the beautiful Embassy, and learned some interesting facts about Russian History and Culture. Please see some pictures of this wonderful event in a slideshow we have prepared for our website.

The Building Bridges bears were graciously accepted by the Russian Ambassador to the United States, Yuri V. Ushakov, who delivered brief remarks thanking VOICES for our outreach effort. Each bear has a card bearing a brief message in Russian and English expressing solidarity with these victims of terrorism. Some bears, for example, have the message, “Every time you hug this bear, know that someone cares for you” and the translation.

From Washington the bears will be transported to the town of Beslan, in the North Ossetia region of Russia, and distributed to families of the victims in time for the first anniversary of the attacks in September. On September 1, 2004. Beslan School #1 was seized by separatist militants who held teachers and students hostage for three days. On September 3, Russian Special Forces reclaimed the school, but 344 victims, including 172 children, died in the attack. In his remarks at the event, Ambassador Ushakov called the Beslan attack “ Russia’s 9/11,” because of its impact on the nation. At the event, VOICES members signed the Beslan Declaration Against Terrorism to show our solidarity with the victims and commitment to work together to combat terrorism. The event was mentioned in an article last week by the Russian ITAR TASS news agency.

Peter Prime of Adirondack Toys donated a group of bear puppets for the students at Beslan School #1, and Chris Kilbane of New Cannan Toy Store facilitated the purchase of 350 smaller bears to be distributed to individual families of the victims. Many other Voices of September 11th members donated bears or money to purchase them.

In the future, we will reach out to other communities scarred by terrorism in the hope that we can make a small difference in the lives of people may not know by name, but know intimately just the same.   

VOICES would like to thank Senator Lieberman and his fantastic staff for making the Russian Embassy event possible; our volunteers and staff at Voices of September 11 th for their hard work on the Send-A-Bear program; and especially everyone at the Russian Embassy for being such gracious hosts and arranging to deliver the bears to Beslan families.


Update on Support Groups

New teleconference and in-person support groups have started. New members are welcome to join new and existing groups. Please check the calendar and call VOICES at 866-505-3911 to register and obtain more information.

Securing the Homeland Summary

On Tuesday, June 28th the 9/11 Public Discourse Project held its fourth panel discussion to evaluate the implementation of the 9/11 Commission recommendations for government reform. Tuesday’s panel focused on Homeland Security issues including border control, port security and airport safety. A full transcript is available, as is Government Executive’s coverage of the event. The panelists’ greatest concern is the growing sense of complacency among government officials and the general public. Former 9/11 Commissioner Slade Gorton explained: "For every day that goes by in which we are successful in protecting the people of the United States, it becomes more and more difficult to focus the attention of policy makers on steps that are necessary to see to it that that condition exists."

(Perhaps have a link to “more” here and have the rest of the summary on a .pdf)

This sentiment prevailed among the panelists, who felt that although many reforms have been enacted, many gaps in our national defense network still exist. "With my own eyes, I see vulnerabilities almost every single day that could be closed," said Bob Kerrey, a former 9/11 Commissioner who moderated Tuesday’s discussion. The panelists attributed this sense of complacency to the passing of almost four years since 9/11 without an attack on the homeland. Clark Kent Ervin, who previously served as the Homeland Security Department’s Inspector General, warned that although there has not been an attack, the threat is still very real. In an interview with Government Executive, Ervin said, "We're safer now than we were on 9/11, but we're not as safe as we can be, we're not as safe as we need to be, we're not as safe as we think we are."

Maritime and port security was a topic of significant discussion among the panelists, particularly Steven Flynn, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He said an attack on the maritime industry, which remains largely unprotected, could be crippling to the global trade system. "Looking in the maritime arena ... there is not much in place that would deter me from exploiting this sector and targeting this sector," he said. Other panelists included former DHS Assistant Secretary C. Stewart Verdery, William Raisch of the International Center for Preparedness, and Mayor Edward Lambert of Fall River, Massachusetts. For more information on this hearing, visit the 9/11 PDP website.


Panel 5: Congressional Reform

On Monday, July 11 th the PDP will host a panel discussion on Congressional Reform in the post-9/11 era. Panelists include Senator Pat Roberts and former Speaker of the House Thomas S. Foley. Congress has made some progress in legislating the 9/11 Commission Reforms, most notably by passing the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. However, Congress still has a long way to go in reforming its own oversight procedures for the Department of Homeland Security and other new government agencies. In a Baltimore Sun Op-Ed last month, 9/11 Commission Chairman Tom Kean and Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton warned, “ Congress is not organized to be an effective partner and watchdog in the post-9/11 era.” We look forward to hearing from this distinguished panel on ways that Congress can improve its oversight of the agencies charged with keeping us safe.

Slade Gorton, a former 9/11 Commissioner and current member of the 9/11 PDP will moderate this panel. Gorton is currently of counsel at Preston Gates & Ellis, a private law firm. For 18 years prior, he represented the state of Washington in the United States Senate. While in the Senate, he served on several committees, as well as in the Republican leadership. Gorton’s first-hand knowledge makes him an excellent source to discuss the need for Congressional reform in the post-9/11 era. Please view a flyer for Monday’s panel, or visit the PDP website for more information.

Flight 93 and Pentagon Memorials

With the recent controversy over the WTC Memorial site, it is reassuring to see the respectful and diligent way in which the memorials are moving forward at the Pentagon and Shanksville, PA sites. The five prospective designs for the Flight 93 memorial were recently chosen and are on display now through September 24th. The memorial will be located on a 2200-acre site near Shanksville that has been designated a new National Park in honor of the passengers’ sacrifice. A fifteen-member jury comprised of family members and local residents will choose the final design for the Flight 93 memorial, which will be unveiled in Washington, DC. Fundraising has begun for the memorial, which is estimated to cost $30 million. For more information, or to contribute, please visit the Flight 93 Memorial website.

The design for the Pentagon memorial has already been selected and construction is scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2006. The memorial consists of a Memorial Park inscribed with 184 Memorial Units—one for each of the victims inside the Pentagon and on board American Airlines Flight 77. The individual memorial unit is at once a glowing light pool, a cantilevered bench and a place for the permanent inscription of each victim’s name. The park is organized as a timeline of the victims’ ages, spanning from Dana Falkenberg, 3 years old, to John D. Yamnicky, age 71. Fifty-nine memorial units face one direction, 125 face the other – thus distinguishing victims on board AA Flight 77 from those who were inside the Pentagon. When visiting a memorial dedicated to a victim who was in the Pentagon, the visitor will see their engraved name and the Pentagon in the same view. Conversely, one would see the engraved name of a victim on Flight 77 with the sky. Please visit the Pentagon Memorial website for pictures and more information.


Featured Memorial Event
3rd Annual White Party Clam Bake in Honor of Gary Lutnick

When: Saturday, July 23, 2005 at 7:00 PM (Rain Date: July 24)
Where: Indian Wells Beach, Amagansett, NY
Donation: $200 per person (Tickets must be purchased in advance)

A night of "lobsters, live music, and mojitos" will benefit the children of the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund. Please visit the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund website for more information.

Please click here to send us information on your memorial or foundation event. The information will be posted on our website and distributed in the newsletters.