Along with all of you I was deeply offended by the accusations made by Anne Coulter concerning 9/11 family members. Ms. Coulter’s comments were an affront to our entire 9/11 community, especially those of us who have devoted our efforts for positive changes. Disagreements about policies or politics may be healthy, but she went much too far with personal character attacks and questioning their love for their family members. The fact that Ms. Coulter is profiting by making slanderous comments about our personal sacrifice is outrageous, and she deserves the strong protest that has come from all sides this week. Click here to read some responses from a family members, a politician and a journalist.

On a much more important matter, Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg are considering two options for the redesign of the WTC Memorial as we speak. We anticipate a decision and have included articles speculating what some of the changes may be. It is encouraging that the Pentagon has broken ground on their memorial and that the Firefighters Memorial was dedicated in NYC. I was impressed with the heartfelt comments made by Harold Meyers, assistant chief of the department and the Manhattan borough commander, who said: "We wanted it to tell a story. One hundred years from now, we want you to look at this and say, 'This is what happened.'"

I am hopeful that those tasked with making the decisions for the redesign of the WTC Memorial will also have those same standards. In closing, we wish all of our fathers a restful Father’s day. We will keep each of you and your families in our thoughts on this special day as we remember our loved ones who perished.

Warm Regards,

Mary Fetchet

Fathers play a special role in an individual’s life from birth through adulthood. Most fathers wear many different hats; he may be the breadwinner, “Mr. Mom,” the disciplinarian, the advice giver, the chauffeur, the sports coach, the handyman, the cheerleader, confidante, or buddy. On father’s day, young children as well as grown children likely find themselves thinking about this unique relationship. Yet following a tragedy such as 9/11, traditional holidays such as Father’s Day take on new meaning, bringing reminders of happier as well as more difficult times. The holiday can be especially difficult if you are a surviving father, father of a beloved child who died, father to a child whose mother died, or your own father died on 9/11. Grandfathers may also find themselves with a heavy heart as they mark another day without a special grandchild or bear witness to a son still grieving.

Experience, personality, family history, and relationships all impact how one chooses to acknowledge any holiday. On Father’s day a father who is a survivor, may be extremely grateful for being able to continue sharing in his children’s lives. Yet a father who is grieving the death of a spouse, or a grandfather who has faced the death of a child or grandchild, may have conflicting feelings – attempting to call up comforting memories but feeling sad about not being able to add new ones with someone special. Mothers may have questions about how they should help a fatherless child. And bereaved children may struggle with how to acknowledge a father who has died or perhaps a new “father” who may have been added to the family. Click here to read more or download a .pdf file.

We at Voices would like to invite other teleconference groups to meet in-person at our office during office hours. If interested, please speak to your facilitator during the teleconference group.

VOICES still has openings for the "Significant Others" teleconference support group open to males and females who were in a serious relationship with a 9/11 victim but were not married, such as those who were living together, domestic partners, or engaged. The group's next meeting is Monday, June 17, 2006 at 11:00 am EST

VOICES additional teleconference group for Parents of 9/11 victims held its first meeting but is seeking new members. This will group will meet Wednesdays from 3:15-4:15 pm EST, every other week. Please contact us to join before the next meeting on Wednesday, June 28 .

VOICES teleconference groups are offered free of charge but registration is required. Teleconference groups are always open to new members. Check the teleconference group schedule and see which one works best for you. Interested individuals should call VOICES at (866) 505-3911 or (203) 966-3911 for more information.

SAVE THE DATE: SEPTEMBER 11TH RESCUE & RECOVERY WORKERS RALLY & PRESS CONFERENCE

Saturday, June 17th, 2006
Time: 11 am - 1:30 pm
Location: World Trade Center Site (Church St. Between Dey And Fulton St.)

Info: Come rally with Unsung Heroes Helping Heroes at Ground Zero. Together with Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and other public officials, leaders of labor unions, health and safety advocates, community residents and employees, we will demand a solid commitment to fund long-term health monitoring and treatment, and to address the many health-related needs linked to Ground Zero pollution. Read the Event Flyer.

SAVE THE DATE: 9/11 First Responders: Voices From The Pit FORUM ON 9/11 HEALTH ISSUES

Location: Community Church, 40 East 35th Street (between Park and Madison), New York, NY
Info: Join us for this important event to hear various first responders to the 9/11 attacks share their experiences of that day and the ensuing weeks of unimaginable hardship and incredible heroism. You'll learn how the support system has failed these heroes who gave so selflessly to help their brothers and sisters who fell in harms way that fateful day, as well as legal and financial challenges they now face. Also, we’ll present information on services which are now available to attend to their physical and emotional healing and look at actions that can be taken by the general public to support their cause. Click here for more information, including a list of participants. Suggested donation: $8.

Time: 8 p.m.
Location: Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, 154 W 57th St., New York City
Info: Gear Up Foundation would like to invite you to enjoy the magic of Paganini's music combined with Andean rhythms, created and performed by two of the finest violinists and guitarists in the world, the “Duo Paganini.” We will match your contribution to allow a Ground Zero rescuer to enjoy the concert.

Gear Up foundation's mission has evolved to serve first responders who are ill as a result of their exposure to the toxic environment of Ground Zero. Our goal is to find them both in the United States and around the world, bring them back to our homeland and provide them with care through our partnership with Mount Sinai Hospital “Health for Heroes Program”. We thank you for helping us take our new program off the ground. Read the Event Flyer for ticket and other information.

A 56-foot long bronze sculptural frieze honoring the memory of the 343 New York City Firefighters who died on 9/11 was dedicated near Ground Zero last week. The memorial depicts FDNY members responding to the burning Twin Towers and is “Dedicated to those who fell and to those who carry on – May we never forget.” The memorial is notable for its accurate depiction of gear and the moving expressions of emotion on the faces of the firefighters. They are depicted without recognizable features, some laying down hose lines, others washing their faces at a hydrant or pointing in disbelief at the Towers. The names of those who gave their lives are listed by rank and company, are listed at the bottom of the memorial. Family and friends of the firefighters can make rubbings of the names as mementos, as shown in the picture above.

The memorial is located on a side wall of “Ten House,” the home of Engine Company 10 Ladder Company 10 across from the WTC site. The unveiling and dedication ceremony on June 10th was attended by hundreds of family and friends and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. President George W. Bush, Governor George Pataki, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg all sent video presentations. This memorial, as chief of the department Peter Hayden said, “Is a tribute to those who put themselves in harms way so that others might live.” The memorial was sponsored by the charitable foundation of Holland & Knight, a Downtown law firm that lost employees in the attacks. It includes a timeline of the day’s events so visitors can learn more about the FDNY’s heroic efforts on 9/11. Harold Meyers, assistant chief of the department and the Manhattan borough commander said, "We wanted it to tell a story. One hundred years from now, we want you to look at this and say, 'This is what happened.'" Assistant Chief Myers is quoted in the New York Times, whose coverage features an interactive video presentation about the design and construction process for this stirring and timeless memorial.

Yesterday Frank Sciame, the new "czar" appointed to hash out a workable, $500-million-or-under 9/11 Memorial at the WTC site presented different options to New York Governor Pataki and City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Pataki and Bloomberg and their staffs are expected to evaluate the possibilities, all amendments to the original Michal Arad-Peter Walker design "Reflecting Absence," and announce a new, final plan next week. A proposal that would raise the names of the victims to street level, shrink the size of the proposed Memorial Museum, and keep the waterfalls that feed subterranean reflecting pools, has "greatly interested" that Pataki and Bloomberg, according to an anonymous source quoted in Associated Press coverage.

A vocal group of 9/11 families have advocated for the names of victims to inscribed at the street level, a move that would also save money by reducing the number of entrances and exits at the memorial. A scaled-down 9/11 museum, however, would remain under the plaza, with its own entrance, according to accounts of the plans. Pataki and Bloomberg were tight-lipped after their two-hour meeting Thursday, issuing only a brief joint statement: "Frank Sciame has done an enormous amount of work and made an informative presentation to the governor and mayor this afternoon. The governor and mayor's offices are reviewing the analysis, and we expect a written report to be available next week," according to New York Post coverage.

A groundbreaking ceremony yesterday marked the beginning of construction for the Pentagon memorial for the 184 lives lost in the military headquarters and in American Flight 77 on September 11. The memorial, which will consist of glowing reflecting pools underneath individual benches, will be completed by 2008. The design, by Julie Beckman and Keith Kaseman, was chosen from over 1000 entries during the 2003. The design also calls for maple trees to be planted throughout the memorial to create a peaceful grove of remembrance for visitors. The groundbreaking ceremony included almost 300 family and friends as well as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In a speech, Secretary Rumsfeld spoke directly to the families: "This memorial was meant for you, to offer some comfort ... now you can know that we will never forget," as quoted in Washington Times coverage.

Nearly $11 million of the $22 million needed to construct the memorial has been raised, said officials of the Pentagon Memorial Fund, who also are hoping to raise $10 million for maintenance costs. "Today marks a positive outcome from a tragic day," said Pentagon Memorial Fund Jim Laychak, brother of Pentagon employee David Laychak, as quoted in the New York Times. For more information on the design of the Pentagon Memorial please visit the Pentagon's website. To support this beautiful tribute, visit the Pentagon Memorial Fund website.

Tropical Storm Alberto kicked off the 2006 hurricane season this week, lashing the Florida panhandle with heavy rains and 50 knot (nautical miles per hour) winds before moving over Georgia and the Carolinas and out into the Atlantic. Alberto never grew to hurricane status, with winds topping out near 85 knots as it traveled over the Gulf of Mexico. However, officials took the lessons of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma to heart as Alberto appraoched the Gulf Coast. Florida Governor Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency and urged more than 20,000 residents in flood-prone coastal areas to follow mandatory evacuation orders, according to Voice of America coverage.

"I think we are on top of this, and this is a good lesson, I think, in preparedness," Gov. Bush said in Tallahassee. "I can assure you that if a stronger storm comes our way, we have a great team locally and at the state level," as quoted in the New York Times. Preparedness at the national level falls to the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA, who have had only a short time to learn some of the many lessons from last season. To read more about DHS preparedness measures for hurricanes, including advice on how to prepare your home and family for heavy weather visit the DHS website.

The Department of Homeland Security has partnered with Minor League Baseball to promote personal preparedness at games across the U.S. this summer. Througout the 2006 season, teams will hold "Ready" nights where local Boy Scouts, Citizen Corps volunteers and other community members will distribute emergency preparedness brochures to fans. The brochures and other materials available on the "Ready.gov" website provide valuable information to help individuals prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and schools. Teams will also feature the "Ready" public service announcements on their scoreboards and in game programs.

Homeland Security’s Under Secretary for Preparedness George Foresman commented, "We appreciate Minor League Baseball’s continued support of the Ready Campaign. Through their assistance, and that of the Boy Scouts of America, we will reach baseball fans throughout the nation with important preparedness messages." Foresman is quoted in a DHS Press Release, which includes a schedule of upcoming "Ready Nights." Also, appearing at select games will be Rex the Mountain Lion, who helps teach kids about preparedness as the mascot of the "Ready Kids" campaign. The first "Ready" Night was held May 5, with the Carolina Mudcats hosting the Mobile BayBears. On Wednesday, a "Ready" Night was held at the Connecticut Defenders game vs. the Akron Aeros in Norwich. But it appeared the Defenders, losers of six straight, were unprepared for the Aeros, who won 6 to 4.

9/11 Widow Responds to Ann Coulter -- This past week 9/11 widows were the brunt of a tongue lashing by self-proclaimed anti-liberalist Ann Coulter (By Christie Coombs)

Governor Jon Corzine Responds to Ann Coulter -- The Sept. 11 attacks left our nation shocked, confused, angry and hurt. But for those who lost family that day, the pain was far greater. In times of such tragedy, it's often hard to look past your own personal pain, but somehow the families of the 9/11 victims did just that (New York Times)

To: Nell M. Coulter -- Dear Mrs. Coulter, Congratulations on your daughter's success. I'm sure you are proud of Ann's latest work, "Godless: The Church of Liberalism" (Connecticut Post Column)

Freedom Tower Is in Doubt, Port Authority Chief Warns -- Although work is under way on the foundation of the Freedom Tower, a top official cast new doubt yesterday on whether the signature skyscraper's steel frame would ever rise above street level (New York Times)