It had been thirty-seven weeks since a pair of hijacked airliners had brought the Twin Towers of The World Trade Center down in a storm of fire and steel.  The 16-acre plot the nation had come to know as Ground Zero formally closed with a brief and somber ceremony.  There were no speeches.  The ceremony began with the ringing of a solitary bell at 10:29 a.m. ET, the same time the World Trade Center's north tower collapsed on September 11, 2001, and a mournful procession out of the pit.

Thousands of people stood in silence, as an honor guard of police, firefighters and representatives of other agencies walked slowly up a ramp from the site carrying a stretcher bearing only an American flag.

The flag draped stretcher, symbolizing the victims killed on September 11th, but never found, was carried out of the pit, up the ramp and placed into a waiting ambulance, as police officers, firefighters and others stood quietly and saluted.

A flatbed truck carrying the last 50-ton steel column removed from the site of the WTC ruins followed the ambulance from the site.  The beam, from the southeast corner of the south tower, was shrouded in black cloth with an American flag and memorial wreath on it. on it.

Kevin Ryan, A Port Authority Police Piper Combined Pipe & Drum Band NYPD, FDNY, PAPD The combined bands played "AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL" as they solemnly left what had once been the site of the World Trade Center.

Officers of the Port Authority of NY/NJ escort family members of the victims up the ramp, some carrying pictures of their lost loved ones.

The Heroes of Ground Zero walk up the 500 foot ramp, out of the pit, and up West St. showing that the rescue, recovery and clean-up of the WTC site has been completed.

The riderless horse being led from the pit symbolizes the rider will not be returning.  It originates from times when horses were the primary means of transportation. The boots are reversed in the stirrups symbolizing the missing rider.

Governor Pataki of New York, NYC Mayor Bloomberg and previous NYC Mayor Giuliani follow the procession out of the pit.

New Yorkers will NEVER FORGET!

A flag flies near the 50 foot steal beam cross that was lifted from the rubble shortly after the Twin Towers fell.

A fly-over by NYPD Helicopters accompanied by a PAPD Helicopter

As the procession moves up West Street, some onlookers wave banners of thanks, while others stand in silence out of respect for those that died and to honor those that were the Heroes of Ground Zero.

Details of the 37 week Rescue/Recovery/Clean-up May 2002 Five survivors were pulled out of the rubble alive. 1,642,698 tons of debris removed; 190,568 in steel. The debris was removed in 108,444 truckloads. More than 3.1 million hours of labor was required to excavate the site. More than 19,500 body parts collected. New York medical examiner has identified 1,102 victims. 2,823 were killed at the WTC, including those aboard the two jetliners. 1,616 death certificates issued without a body, (at the request of victims' families) 105 people are still classified as missing.

More pages for A Day to Remember America Attacked America Still Stands Proud An Open Letter to A Terrorist America Prays A Global Tragedy Can Osama Bin Laden Come Out to Play? NY/NJ Port Authority Police Memorial Remember the Heroes of Ground Zero Remembering the Heroes of the PAPD In Memory of Officer George Howard In Memory of K-9 Sirius A K-9 Memorial Service The Hero's Cross Where was GOD? What if YOU died tonight? Cathy's World The song playing is "America The Beautiful"

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