Give Your Voice

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Updates
- Chief Medical Examiner Status Report as of 10/29/03 - 16:24h - disaster number count = 19,917; whole body = 293; other = 19,624; identified = 1,531 (56%); cases picked up by FH = 1,259. .
- Reported Missing Number - 2,752 - lowered by 40 names as a result of decision made by committee (NYC law dept, NYPD, Mayor's Office of Community Assistance, and Mayor's UN commission) to remove names from the Reported Missing List after exhausting all possible efforts (i.e., to locate family members, confirm legitimacy, weed out fraudulent reports, etc.). Currently, 3 names have not applied for death certificate.
- Memorial Park - family visits have slowed down post anniversary. However, there is a surge in -file- review appointments. To schedule a review, kindly contact the Medical Examiner's WTC Hotline at 212. 447-7884. Medical Examiner's office recently put out to bid for mausoleum structure to serve as temporary resting place until Memorial at site is complete.
- Drying process - process is complete. 16,420 remains have been dried and now complete. Final inventory being conducted. All remains in inventory are sealed, bagged, and tagged for the best possible preservation for future identifications...
- Terrorist remains - to date, 3 terrorists have been identified and removed to undisclosed location. Dr. Shaler working with FBI lab to complete DNA profiles and affects to test at NYC Medical Examiner's Office.
- Identification update - Scientific work to be done by end of year with exception of re-sampling remains. Next 6 to 9 months of data needs to be done in house. Once data is in house and software is in place, there will be time to get genetic information to yield identifications. This process is estimated to be completed by March/September, which points to the end of the current technologies in place. They have gone as far as they can with current technology. However, ME's office stressed that they will not stop, but rather pause until new technology is available to them. There is potential tests being worked on specifically for the badly comprised samples. Once perfected and in place, it will be utilized.

We Remember everyone lost on 9-11
And with them we remember everyone lost
In Oklahoma and on the USS Cole

We Remember everyone lost
In Beruit and Kenya
We Remember everyone lost
In Afghanistan and in Iraq

We Remember not only because we love them
But, also because they gave their love to US
Giving meaning to our lives
We Remember because we are the ones
Who still weep from that day and forever
We still carry the pain and suffering
The emptiness and the loneliness
In their being taken from us

Holding them in our lacerated hearts
We the families
Remember them in their silence
And Honor them Forever

World Trade Center DNA Identifications Update
Office of Chief Medical Examiner, City of New York
June 2003

Because many of the victims' remains from the World Trade Center disaster are unidentifiable using traditional DNA testing methods, the Medical Examiner's office has begun using new DNA techniques. There are three additional techniques being used: Bode-Plex, Mitochondrial DNA, and SNPs. The purpose of this document is to provide an update the use of these new techniques (they are described in more depth in our update of January 2003).

As of June 2003, we have identified 1,505 of the 2,792 victims from the WTC disaster. Using these new techniques, we hope to identify at least another 100-200 victims. We anticipate it may take over a year to receive and analyze all the new data.

Bode-Plex
This technique was pioneered Dr. John Butler at the National Institutes of Standards and Technology and adapted by Dr. Jim Schumm of the Bode Technology Group and is being applied to the WTC identification process by Bode Technology Group, a forensics laboratory in Springfield, Virginia. Bode-Plex has never been used before in human identification - it was developed specifically for WTC and validation was completed in December 2002. Bode-Plex is a modification of the normal DNA process and was therefore easier to validate.

All remains that had not yielded a profile sufficient for identification were sent for Bode-Plex testing. To date, Bode-Plex testing has been very successful in identifying and linking additional remains to victims who were already identified. This is especially true for remains where we only had a partial profile. It has also yielded some new identifications.

Mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA is different from genomic DNA normally used in identifications. Mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from one's mother, rather than from both the mother and father. Therefore, siblings have the same Mitochondrial DNA profile. Unlike genomic DNA, mitochondrial DNA is not unique - about 1 in 200 people share the same Mitochondrial profile. Therefore, we cannot make an identification based solely on a Mitochondrial DNA profile, but it can be very useful in focusing our efforts.

Celera Genomics in Rockville, Maryland has done mitochondrial DNA testing on the unidentified remains. We continue to receive these profiles, and currently have about 8,100 mitochondrial profiles in our database. We expect to have all the mitochondrial data in by the end of the summer.

SNPs
Unlike Bode-Plex and mitochondrial DNA, Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) is new to the WTC identification process. The validation process for SNPs has just been completed and we are now waiting for the New York Department of Health to approve it for use in identification. While we are waiting for approval, we have sent samples of the unidentified remains to Orchid Laboratories in Dallas to be tested. A preliminary look at SNPs data indicates that it will be helpful in identifying remains that have yielded no DNA profile to this point. While we are hopeful SNPs will lead to new identifications, as with mitochondrial DNA and Bode-Plex, the majority of remains identified using SNPs will be linking additional remains to those already identified.

WTC Hotline
If you have any questions about World Trade Center operations at the Medical Examiner's office, or if you would like to schedule a visit to Memorial Park or attend one of our DNA tours, please call our WTC hotline at 212-447-7884, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, seven days a week.

If I call you
It is because I need you
To sing a song for me
You know
I can't sing anymore

If I call you
It is because I need you
To smile for me
I can't smile like before

If I call you
It is because I need you
To laugh loudly
In a robust way
To fill my heart
Because
What once lived there
Has been taken
So very far away

If I call you
It is because you alone
Will stay with me
and speak without speaking
Know without revealing
Remain without failing
As the days filter through
Ever darkening memories
In my mind

If I call you
It is because
You understand
How everything has stopped
Because you also wait
For the hour that brings
A new beginning

In every tree
In every blade of grass
Every Flower
From begining to end
That's where I live.

I live in the depths
and shallows of every sea
In the little ones
and the great ones
If you look
You will see me
That's where I live

In the great birds
and the little ones that sing
In the mountains
The bears, cats, and wolves
and deer
I live.

In the wanderers
Great and small
Where least expected
Most of all.
In the grace from My finger
I live in them.

LMDC Jury Form:
Please send your comments to the LMDC and Memorial Jury and include what your vision for the 9/11 Memorial

Updates
" Chief Medical Examiner Status Report as of 5/07/03 - 17.00h - disaster number count = 19,938; whole body = 291; other = 19,647; identified = 1,488 (53%); cases picked up by FH = 1,201; members of service identified* = 255 *(nypd =16, fdny = 207, papd = 22, ems/non-fdny = 3, other = 7)
" Memorial Park - open Monday through Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Families are requested to phone ME's office (212.447.7884) to advise of planned visit so that ME's office can staff appropriately. Funding to ME's office still readily available - "they have not been disappointed."
" 29th & 30th Streets - pedestrian traffic limited to Bellevue Hospital affiliates. No vehicular traffic permitted except for ambulance traffic. Currently, no pressure to open up to general traffic.
" Reported Missing Number - 2,792 -
" Identifications - total number identified = 1,488.
" STRs - no new info
" Bodeplex - anticipate 1 month turnaround time. Currently, 3,000 sample extracts ready for shipment for testing.
" SNiPs - ME's office very hopeful,should be yielding new identifications. Has yielded 4 new identifications since last meeting.
" Mito - close to coming "on line" using qualitative
" Drying process - still continuing.
" Notification procedure - ME's office reconfirmed flexibility with individual processes in place. Families can request to have notification process readjusted and/or updated. Also, stressed their flexibility to accompany Families who may change their minds regarding additional notifications and "holding" of remains.. ...
" Terrorist remains - no new identifications. However, FBI has provided extracts from their lab in Quantico.

Untitled Document AFTER: How America Confronted the September 12 Era
Steven Brill
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0743237099

"The terrorists' goal is fear, not conquest," states Steven Brill in his
treatise on the attacks on America in September 2001. "If terrorists can
convince enough people to be scared because their government hasn't figured
out how to deal with any number of threats at the same time, they win. Yet
from a political point of view, if he or she alarms people so much by talking
about all the threats and making the price of addressing them so onerous in
terms of freedom, cost, and convenience, the terrorists win that way, too."

AFTER: How America Confronted the September 12 Era is the story of how the
nation banded together and fought those fears. In the dark days that followed
what will be forever remembered simply as "9/11," millions of people,
Americans and non-Americans, wondered how life could ever return to normal.
But in Steven Brill's commendable book, readers will learn how quickly
attempts were made to get the nation back on track.

Of course, the focus that day was on the victims who perished or were injured
in the horrific attacks. The days that followed were filled with palpable
sadness and mourning. Jews traditionally have a seven-day period of mourning,
after which it is time to get on with life.

Brill, founder of The American Lawyer and former editor of Brill's Content,
reports in painstaking detail the efforts made by New York and America,
through a handful of examples, to do just that --- the widow, reluctantly
giving in to the inevitability of her husband's death; the long-time
shopkeeper who lost everything, wondering what to do next; the businessmen on
both sides of the insurance table, anxious to rebuild on the one hand and
trying to avoid massive payouts on the other; the New York senator trying to
get the most available aid for his battered city; the ACLU lawyer, seeking to
keep mass hysteria from infringing on the civil rights of those who might
become targets of persecution simply because of their nations of origin; the
airline official, whose entire industry is already down dramatically, looking
for assistance to avoid total collapse in the face of lost business and
potential lawsuits; and the Red Cross worker, trying to maximize assistance
to victims of 9/11 while juggling political sensitivities.

Unfortunately, there are always those looking to capitalize on such a
situation, whether they seek financial, social or political glory. "[I]t is
pointless to try to gauge the mix of 'selfish' or 'selfless' motivations at
work. We live in a society that depends on both," writes Brill in the book's
epilogue.

The sum of AFTER is an amazing collection of research and yet it remains a
human story, rather than cold facts and figures. Congressmen cry along with
family members, while the phrase "I feel your pain," often considered a joke
thanks to the previous Administration, takes on real meaning.

The reader also gets a sense of the enormity of planning to re-seed a new
financial infrastructure where the World Trade Center once stood. To do less,
to sit and brood for an extended period, despite the unparalleled depths of
anguish, would be to grant an even larger sense of victory to the madmen
behind the attacks.

Brill's brilliant analysis ends with a note of hope: "Although American
freedoms and the legal system that protects its people have been tested and
even changed, Americans are still fundamentally free."

Brill concludes: "The American people and the American system have been as
resilient as ever. Even as the nation changed, it prevailed, because its
people remained fundamentally the same --- motivated enough and tough enough
to pursue the same mix of self-interest and public interest in the same
spirited, open arena that, since its beginning has been the source of
America's enduring strength."

AFTER does not make for emotionally pleasant reading. With the first real
test of that national grit since December 7, 1941 --- another date to
remember --- it is, nevertheless, important reading. It reminds us how far we
have come and how much farther we have yet to go.

Office of Chief Medical Examiner, City of New York January 2003
Two kinds of DNA are being used for identification in the World Trade Center disaster: nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA. Nuclear DNA is a combination of the DNA inherited from your mother and father. You inherit mitochondrial DNA only from your mother.

Nuclear DNA
To obtain a DNA profile for an individual, the Medical Examiner's laboratories attempt to measure the nuclear DNA at no less than 13 positions. These thirteen points (known as markers), along with a marker for gender make up a complete profile. This is the standard profile used for human identification in criminal casework, other disasters (American Airlines Flight 587) and identifying soldiers recovered from Vietnam, Korea, and other military conflicts.

Standard DNA profiles are generated from markers that are from 100-400 base pairs in length. You can think of a base pair as one rung on the 3 billion-rung ladder that makes up your DNA. The remains from the World Trade Center that were brought to the Medical Examiner's office were tested for DNA. Unfortunately, more than half of them have not yet yielded a DNA profile sufficient for identification. This is because decomposition, heat and water can break up the DNA, making it difficult to measure a specific marker. So, for example, we may be able to measure 9 of the 13 markers (or even fewer), which is not sufficient for identification (we say it "doesn't make statistics").

Two new technologies, Bode-Plex (pronounced "Bodie Plex") and SNPs (pronounced "snips") may allow us to get a profile from smaller areas of the DNA. Bode-Plex allows a profile to be extracted from a segment of 89-218 base pairs, while SNPs work with segments of 65-85 base pairs. Before these new techniques can be used for human identification, they must be validated by the New York State Department of Public Health, similar to the way in which the FDA approves a new drug for use. Bode-Plex has been validated and has just been introduced to the WTC identification process. SNPs is currently in the validation process and has therefore not yet been used for identification in the World Trade Center project.

Mitochondrial DNA
As Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is inherited only from your mother, it is less helpful in identification than nuclear DNA. It is more robust (due to the fact that there are more copies of it in each cell, it is contained in more cells than nuclear DNA, it is smaller in size, and seems to be more resistant to deterioration), but less specific. Two siblings, for example, who have the same mother, will have the same mtDNA profile.

Mitochondrial DNA has been used for identification purposes in other disasters such as the Swiss Air crash. We are just starting to receive mtDNA information from Celera Laboratories in Rockville, Maryland. We are not currently using it extensively in the identification process, but we hope to once we obtain sufficient data. We expect to get all the mitochondrial data into our database by early summer, 2003. We already have used some mitochondrial information in the identification process.

Bode-Plex
Bode-Plex is a technique for extracting a nuclear DNA profiles from remains where standard techniques have failed. This technique was pioneered by the National Institutes of Standards and Technology and has been re-worked and is being applied to the WTC identification process by Bode Technologies, a forensics laboratory in Springfield, Virginia. Bode-Plex has never been used before in human identification - it was developed specifically for WTC and validation was completed in September.

Bode-Plex data are now being used by the Medical Examiner's for World Trade Center identifications. Initial estimates lead us to expect to receive around 2,000 profiles per month from Bode Laboratories. Bode-Plex data have already led to identifications that never would have been made otherwise and will assist extensively in linking additional remains to people who already have been identified. We are retesting all of the remains that did not yield a profile sufficient for identification along with all the family samples and personal effects. Bode-Plex is a modification of the normal DNA process and was therefore easier to validate.

SNPs
SNPs stands for Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms. Unlike Bode-Plex, which is a variation on the standard DNA profiling technique, SNPs is a radical departure from the standard process and has not yet been validated for human identification. Initial validation studies of the SNPs technique have proven inconclusive and it is taking much longer for it to be validated than was anticipated. Once in place, it is hoped SNPs will assist in the identification of remains that were previously unidentifiable. We don't currently know when SNPs will be validated. The first pilot testing of WTC samples is promising.

Virtual Profiles
One of the ways Bode-Plex can help with the process is by providing an incomplete profile that can be combined with an existing incomplete profile to create what is known as a virtual profile. The DNA profile is made up of a series of numbers, measurements of repeating patterns at 13 separate markers. Sometimes, though, because of issues such as decomposition, we are unable to get the entire sequence of numbers from remains. Certain parts of the code may drop out. This is shown in the table below as "neg" standing for negative results.

However, if we combine the parts of the code that different techniques produce, we can create a "virtual profile." Using this virtual profile (a profile made up of combined profiles), we can determine the entire DNA sequence for the remains and identify them.

These virtual profiles can be used to identify remains that otherwise would have remained unidentified.

The Medical Examiner's office is committed to identifying as many of the World Trade Center victims as science will allow. Our WTC operations are funded through FEMA and are not impacted by government cutbacks in the city or state of New York. We know that our process will continue for at least another year and in all likelihood, much longer.

Families who have any questions about the DNA process or about the identification process in general should call our WTC hotline at 212-447-7884, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, seven days a week.

Yes, I the Lord, see your tears.
Feel the pain you endure.
Hold you at the very edge of despair.
You cannot understand
The weight of it,
the cross You carry.

Within Me is your sorrow.
My own heart holds your suffering,
your grief, your longing.
Trust Me, I know it all.

Go as far as you can.
I am with you all the way,
bearing witness on your behalf.
Before My Father.
In your courage,
your faith,
your love.
I am always there,
helping you
With The Cross You Carry.

You will fall many times.
Questions will fill your heart.
You will proclaim yourself a failure.
Crying out, unable to continue,
with The Cross You Carry.

Through it all
Remember,
I The Lord,
Take all things to Myself.
You are never alone.
I will never allow
The Cross You Carry,
To be,
heavier,
than My own.

Say the word
and it will be done,
Return them to us
Their smiles and beautiful ways.

In your word
Hold the joy of them
Never lost, forever new
Heal this day embrace in you.

Looking into your eyes
I knew,
You could feel the pain
gripping my heart.
Touched by the agony
Tearing me apart,
You assured me
that I was not a burden,
and wept with me.

You tried desparately
to loosen the pain and suffering
exhaustion would not let it be.
The lacerations were too deep,
your own heart could not sleep.

When we met again
we barely spoke.
Leaning against eachother
our spirits dissolved
into shared pain and sorrow.

You gave me love,
affectionate embraces,
leaving roses in my heart.
Each time I see you,
Precious Friend
I am strengthened.
Know you endure with me.
Gracefully, without request, quietly.

We will keep alive forever,
the memory, the life in every name.
Passing through painful years,
we will pause to pray,
Precious Friend,
and hold eachother's tears.

The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (Port Authority) recognize the importance of the World Trade Center site to the families who lost loved ones on September 11,2001 and their need to visit the site. The LMDC and the Port Authority have created two areas for the families to observe the site in quiet contemplation - The One Liberty Plaza Family Room, located on the 20th floor of One Liberty Plaza, which overlooks the World Trade Center Site, and the Liberty Street Family Room, on Liberty Street, which is located at the World Trade Center Site. Both of these areas provide a private, peaceful setting for the families. Each area has very similar procedures, however, they do differ. Please read the procedures and hours of operation carefully. It's very important that these procedures are followed to ensure your privacy and safety.

The One Liberty Plaza Family Room, located on the 20th Floor of One Liberty Plaza, was established in early April in response to a request by the families for a private, elevated indoor area overlooking the World Trade Center site. The Family Room contains comfortable couches and a children's play area with toys, books etc. The Family Room replaced the outdoor viewing area created for the families after September 11th, which was located on the corner of Liberty and West Streets. The Family Room also contains personal items and photographs that were part of the outdoor viewing area created for the families after September 11th. Families continue to bring pictures, poems, cards and other personal items to the room.

The One Liberty Plaza Family Room is staffed by the Port Authority Police Department 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Families should enter the building using the Liberty Street entrance during regular business hours (Monday-Friday 9-5) and through the Broadway entrance off-hours (after 5:00 p.m. weeknights, Saturday, Sunday and holidays). Families should go to the security desk and indicate they would like to visit the Family Room. Families will need to provide security with the Medical Examiners Family Identification Card (please see below for more information on the Family ID Card) or the P or T number. If you were not assigned a P or a T number and you don't have a Family ID Card you will need to provide additional background information relevant to your loved one. After you show photo identification you will be given a visitor pass that is valid for that day. PLEASE WEAR THIS PASS AT ALL TIMES WHILE IN THE BUILDING.

Family members are allowed to bring guests. However, we ask you to limit the number to one or two if possible. The room only holds 30 people and it is very important this number be adhered to for safety reasons.

If there are large groups of people expected to visit the Family Room, family members need to call the Mayor's Community Assistance Unite (CAU) at 212-788-7418 with the group's contact name, date, time and group size at least one day in advance. We also request that you provide the CAU with a list of family members in advance of your visit to speed up the admission process.

The Liberty Street Family Room, located on Liberty Street directly at the World Trade Center site (south side), was created in September 2002 in response to a request by the families for an on-site viewing location. The Liberty Street Family Room allows family members to view the World Trade Center Site from Liberty Street. It is in a secured area guarded by the Port Authority Police Department and a private security guard. The Liberty Street Family Room is open 7-days a week from 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. (please note: it is not open 24 hours). Families must enter at Washington and Liberty Streets. The Liberty Street Family Room accommodates up to 15 people. If the room is filled to capacity, there is an outside viewing area next to the building, however, it is a shared common area. Families may bring pictures, poems, cards and other personal items to the room.

The same procedures will be followed to gain entry. Families should enter the security gate at Washington and Liberty Streets and indicate they are a family member and would like to visit the Family Room. Families will need to provide the Port Authority Police Officer or the security guard with the Medical Examiners Family ID Card or the P or T number. If you don't have a Family ID Card or were not assigned a P or a T number you will need to provide additional background information relevant to your loved one. After you show photo-id you will be admitted.

If there are large groups of people expected to visit the Liberty Street Family Room, please contact Davella May at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey at 212-435-5552 or by email at dmay@panynj.gov any day during the week to make arrangements. (Please note: this is a different number from the One Liberty Plaza Family Room).

Medical Examiner's Family Identification Cards - The Medical Examiner's Office is now issuing Identification Cards to Family Members. If you would like to schedule an appointment to receive one, please contact the Medical Examiners office at 212-447-7884 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. seven days a week.

If you have any questions, please contact Tara Snow of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation either by email at tsnow@empire.state.ny.us or by calling 212-962-2300.

Have you met my Children?
So good in all their ways.
I could tell you so much about them,
but, my goodness, it would take so many days

You recall what happened
Buildings bursting into flames
Struggles in the skies,
dying in the fields.

I prayed through my tears.
Lord, God of all.
Before you, my Children arrive.
Yes, we spoke, but only briefly.
Their concerns were for others.
They have fallen in such a heroic way.

My Children worked hard everyday.
Often returning tired and worn.
Ever loyal to the task,
none better were ever born.

See them now gathered there-
One was a Janitor
One shined Shoes
One was a Dishwasher
One sold Newspapers
One mopped Floors
One cleaned Restrooms
One was a Secretary
One ran Errands
One was a Cook
One sorted Mail
One was a Baby
One worked the Computer
One drover an Ambulance
One was a Plumber
One was a Pilot
One waited on Tables
One was a Guard
One was a Carpenter
One was a Flight Attendant
One was an Electrician
One is still Missing

All of my Children wore
the uniform of everyday.
All of my Children were very brave
All of my Children are Heroes
My heart is weeping
for my Lambs
America
Love my Children

Yes, it has been a year.
9-11 to 9-11
We pause with reverence,
Pray in silence,
For loved ones lost.

It is time for all to remember
Join together, share the pain,
Understand the suffering,
Witness flowing tears.

Remember the Battlefield - Trade Center
Towers One and Two
Do not simply call them Heroes
Surely that is what they are.
More, they are your family.

Remember the Battlefield - Pentagon
In your love give them life
Vow to keep the truth of them
Ever bright and going on

Remember the Battlefield - Pennsylvania
Let them know they did not sacrifice in vain.
Take their struggle into your heart,
Carry their triumph, their Flag of Glory.

Remember the Battlefield - Oklahoma
Keep them in your love as well.
Hold in trust their unfinished days.
Honor them in prayerful ways.

Remember the Battlefield - Cole
Where our Sons and Daughters
Served and died, keeping all of us free.
Lift them up for all the world to see.

Remember the Battlefield - Embassies
There in loyal service,
They fell for our land.
Spirit in monument, forever will they stand.

Remember Battlefields out there,
Where struggle rages even now,
Faced by the bravest Sons and Daughters,
The world will ever know.

Let this day 9 - 11,
A day that will live in agony,
Also be a day of declaration.
There will never be surrender.
Not to evil, not to despair,
Not to pain, not to suffering.
Live proud America
Live defiantly in the face of evil.
Live courageously in the face of terror.

Live to the fullest your dreams,
Triumph over evil,
Defeat the forces of darkness,
Through your faith in God
And through your faith in each other.

911 World Trade Center Bereavement Support Group
for Parents who Lost Children
Posted by Mrs. Maurer, Mother to Jill Campbell, WTC 2

Where: Long Island Consultation Center, Inc.
97-29 64th Road
Rego Park, New York
Contact: Laurie A. Storm CSW, CASAC
(718) 896-3400

The daily schedule for Memorial Park visitations at the Medical Examiner's office has changed to 8:00am-9:00am and 2:00pm-3:00pm during the week and 9:00am-10:00am and 2:00pm-3:00pm on weekends. Tours of the Medical Examiner's office are every Wednesday from 8:30am until 11:30am (there is no visitation hour on Wednesday morning other than as part of the tour). Please call the hotline (212)-447-7884 to schedule an appointment to visit Memorial Park or to participate in the tour. The hours for the Medical Examiner's Hotline are 8:00 - 8:00 Monday through Friday and 9:00 - 5:00 on weekends.

You remember that day
When the great clouds
Took us all away
but you the ones we love
Must know somehow
We did not leave you
We are angels now

We see your tears
and feel your pain and sorrow
We know the grief that grips you
Although changed, we live
We are angels now

Every hour of every day
We are beside you
Touching you with graces divine
Sharing the loneliness you feel
Our love for you will never end
but live on in heaven
We are angels now

On the day that brought you suffering
be sure we did not die
The place of death now holds the evil
but you the ones we love
Remember
We are angels now

The Chaplaincy Program at Memorial Park of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner now has a permanent web site which is:
ocmechaplain.net

The site explains the nature of this Interfaith Program and identifies some of the people working in it at the present time. There is a place for e-mail to be sent which can be used by family members or friends of victims to contact us. Currently, we are still recruiting chaplains so that we can fulfill our seven day a week schedule.

We are also planning on a full day program of support on September 11, 2002, with additional chaplains available for family members and other visitors.

Please feel free to contact me through this email or through the web site if there is anything specific we can help you with or if you have any questions.

(The Rev.) Charles T.A. Flood - Chaplain
Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, New York, NY

On September 11th, Memorial Park will be open for hourly visitation from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm (the last appointment time will be 7:00 pm). Families should call the Medical Examiner's office at 212-447-7884 to schedule a time. We will have representatives from Project Liberty available to accompany familes to Memorial Park (however, we don't anticipate having enough Project Libery staff to have one person per family as we normally do). Familes who wish to obtain a photo ID are encouraged to arrive at least a half an hour before their scheduled time (or plan to stay after). As always, families can bring flowers or momentos with them to leave at Memorial Park.

Can you hear them singing
Three Thousand strong
Together with the angels
God's eternal song

Lift your voices
and join them
Let them hear you sing
Dry your tears
and rejoice
Sharing all that love can bring

Can you hear them singing
Words filled with holy peace
In God's glory they embrace
All of us left in this place

Can you hear them singing
Do not fall in pain
Reach to them through open heart
With each sweet refrain

They sing to us
From on high
Waiting with loving smiles
Just to hear our voices
Joining in reply

Can you hear them singing
Do not lose your way
We now watch and help you
Through each and every day

Can you hear them singing
When it's time they will be there
to hold our hands and go before
and guide us all through Heaven's door

Memorial Park

Since the early hours following the attacks of September 11th, providing for the identification and safekeeping of the victims' remains has been the responsibility of the Medical Examiner's office.

Memorial Park, located on 30^th street adjacent to the Medical Examiner's Office, is the temporary resting place for the victims of September 11th. It was built and is maintained by people from many callings and places. It is a place of peace where many have come to pay their respects, and a place of honor for all of those lost. It is a hallowed space where dignity reigns and a grieving nation honors its heroes. Most importantly, it is the place from which this nation returns to families the remains of their loved ones, with the deepest of sympathy, respect, honor and dignity.

Housed inside Memorial Park (a large white tent) are a series of refrigerated units holding the remains of all of those lost in the attacks. The remains are kept here until they are identified and returned to the family. The remains are cooled to preserve DNA and to slow decomposition. All of the remains are kept separate with their own unique identification number.

Inside Memorial Park

Memorial Park is maintained by the Medical Examiner's office and will be in place until the identification process is complete. You will not see any remains while at Memorial Park.

Visiting Memorial Park
Families and their invited guests can visit Memorial Park - it is not open to the general public. To schedule a visit, please call 212-447-7884 from 9 am to 9 pm seven days a week. Scheduled visits are available from 8:00 am - 9:00 am, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm, and 7:00 - 8:00 pm. Up to 20 people may visit per hour. When scheduling an appointment, you will be asked to provide the names of all of those people who will accompany you.

Children
Children 12 and younger can visit Memorial Park on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

During Your Visit
When you arrive at the Medical Examiner's Office please check in at the lobby. Please be mindful that Memorial Park remains a working facility, we also consider it a sacred place. Therefore, unscheduled visits are not available and scheduled visits must end on time. If you are late for your appointment, you will be able to visit, but only until the scheduled end of that visit.

The first time you visit our facility, you will be asked to show a photo ID. At that time (if you choose) you will be issued a photo ID which you can use to visit Memorial Park in the future. Any family member can obtain a photo ID. All family members and guests must bring photo identification whenever they visit Memorial Park. The Mayor's Office of Community Affairs has adopted this ID as the universal family ID for all future WTC events.

Staff members of Project Liberty will escort family members from our lobby to Memorial Park. Project Liberty is a FEMA funded disaster-recovery program created by the NY State Office of Mental Health to provide free crisis counseling and referrals to people affected by the WTC disaster. They can be reached at (800)-LIFENET or online at www.projectliberty.state.ny.us

You are welcome to bring photographs, flowers or other mementos, which can be left at Memorial Park.

Cameras and all other types of recording devices are not permitted in memorial park.

Getting to Memorial Park
Memorial Park is located at the Medical Examiner's Office at 520 First Avenue (at 30^th Street) in Manhattan.

Subway: Take the six train to either 28th street or 33rd street and then proceed east to First Avenue and 30th street.

Driving: Take FDR drive to the 23rd street exit to First Avenue. At First Avenue, make a right and go to 30th street. Parking is available at NYU (29th and First) or at other nearby lots. There is metered parking on Second Avenue.

The Medical Examiner's office and Memorial Park are handicapped accessible.

If you have any questions, please call us at 212-447-7884, 9am-9pm 7 days a week.