Dear Families and Friends,

Voices of September 11th offers our deepest sympathies to the victims of the terrorist attacks yesterday 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.

Our director of Mental Health programs, Dr. Robin Goodman, has prepared a letter offering advice to VOICES members who may be feeling renewed distress because of the London attacks. Many families participated in two teleconference groups held in response to the attacks, and VOICES has mental health professionals and staff members available for anyone needing additional support. Please contact our office at 1-866-505-3911 or 203-966-3911 to speak with a mental health professional.

We encourage you to also to join the family members and friends who have posted messages of support and good will to the people of London on our bulletin board at http://www.voicesofsept11.org/bbs.php. These messages will be collected from the bulletin board after July 22, transcribed and sent to British officials for distribution to the hundreds of victims who perished or were wounded in the attacks and their families. The British and American people have always had a very special relationship. VOICES will do all we can to reach out to our friends across the Atlantic in their hour of need, as they did for us in the aftermath of 9/11.

Warm Regards,

Mary Fetchet and the Voices of September 11th staff

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 foster international relationships, VOICES began the Building Bridges Project. The project takes its name from the motto: “Everyone is given stones in life, and we make the decision to build a wall or a bridge.” As part of Building Bridges’ initiative to reach out to victims of terrorism in other countries, VOICES began the Send-A-Bear program last month to send over 350 teddy bears along with handwritten notes to the families who lost loved ones in the Beslan, Russia school attack.

The Beslan Send-A-Bear program was a great success thanks to all of the VOICES 9/11 family members and friends who contributed bears, donations, and messages of good will. We were overwhelmed by the response of students of Russian at Howell High School in Howell, NJ who collected a wonderful menagerie of bears in all shapes and sizes for the Beslan families. They also handwrote notes in Russian expressing sympathy and support. Special thanks to VOICES family member Kathy Wisniewski for coordinating the tremendous Howell High School effort. VOICES is also grateful to Peter Prime of Adirondack Toys, who donated a collection of bear puppets for the students, and to Chris Kilbane of New Cannan Toy Store for facilitating the purchase of 350 bears to be distributed to individual families of the victims.

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. VOICES members were given a tour of the beautiful Embassy, and learned some interesting facts about Russian history and culture. The picture above shows Mary presenting a black bear puppet to the Russian Ambassador Yuri V. Ushakov. Please see some pictures of this wonderful event on our website. (more)

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 support for 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 their 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.

VOICES will continue our Send-A-Bear Program to reach out to other communities scarred by terrorism. We hope that VOICES can make a small difference in the lives of people we may not know by name, but know intimately just the same. In remarks made by Mary Fetchet, she stated, "We hope that this small gesture will be the beginning of a larger collaboration between our countries to make our world safer for all our families." Soon, we will expand the Send-A-Bear program to foster relationships with the victims and their families in Madrid and London. Plese send an email to info@voicesofsept11.org or call our office if you are interested in donating time, money, or bears for Send-A-Bear's continuing outreach.

VOICES would like to thank Senator Lieberman and his dedicated staff for making the Russian Embassy event possible and everyone at the Embassy for being such gracious hosts and arranging to deliver the bears to Beslan families. Special thanks again to our 9/11 family volunteers and the VOICES staff for their hard work on the Send-A-Bear program.

Update on Support Groups

New teleconference and in-person support groups have started. New members are welcome to join new and existing groups including groups for fathers, parents, adult siblings and spouses of victims; as well as Californians, and others. All groups are provided at no cost to participants but registration is required. Please check the calendar and call VOICES at 866-505-3911 to register or 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. Government Executive’s coverage of the event is available to read. 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." (More)

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 11th 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.

World Trade Center and the IFC

VOICES continues to oppose the inclusion of the International Freedom Center (IFC) at the World Trade Center Memorial site. Along with thirteen other family groups, VOICES sent an open response regarding a letter sent to LMDC President Stefan Pryor by Tom Bernstein and 9/11 family member Paula Grant Berry of the IFC. We encourage you to read these letters, as well as some recent articles on this issue. We ask you to please consider signing the Take Back the Memorial petition against the IFC, if you have not already done so.

Flight 93 Memorial

With the recent controversy over the WTC Memorial site, it is reassuring to see the respectful and diligent way in which the memorial is moving forward at the Shanksville, PA site. 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.





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.