9/11 survivor marches in March to the Memorial in St. Joe County
SAINT JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. --- A 9/11 Memorial in St. Joe County served as a final stop on Sunday for marchers that walked in remembrance of the tragedy that struck our country 21 years ago. Some marched the full 21-mile route, while others showed their support throughout different stops, with an American flag in hand.
Among the marchers was Cindy Laney, a local survivor on the 9/11 attacks.
“I was about five minutes south of the South Tower with the North Tower burning, and the second plane, United 175 flew right over me and flew into the South Tower,” 9/11 survivor Cindy Lane remembers. “I was trapped on the tip of Manhattan with a group of people in Battery Park watching the towers fall, thinking when the first tower fell, that we would perish too.”
Laney shared her experiences from that tragic day to the group of marchers once they reached the memorial in hopes that her story will help them reflect.
“I’m just incredibly grateful of course to have lived through it, and to be able to tell the story, but I feel charged to talk about it to help people feel more connected to an event that, in many cases, happened before they were born,” Laney says. “And for those who can remember where they were on 9/11, to help them to reflect.”
Laney wasn’t the only marcher that was in New York City on the day of the attacks. The event organizer, Bob Lyons, was there too and felt inspired by his experience to begin the March to the Memorial, bringing it here to South Bend in 2018 when he moved.
Although it was Laney’s first time in the march, she says the solidarity she felt while marching was powerful.
“It was a real joy to hear people honking their horns as we marched down the streets carrying our American flags, and knowing and feeling that solidarity,” says Laney.
Also, knowing she isn’t alone in never wanting to forget the experience that changed her life 21 years ago.
“It’s a wonderful way to remember and enjoy the company of those who don’t want to forget,” Laney says.