Hardin County remembers

The topic: Hardin County's 9/11 Memorial
Our view: It's a community monument

Few American tragedies have been as chilling as the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Now, nearly 10 years after thousands of lives were taken on American soil, we have an opportunity in Hardin County to always remember and honor those lives with a memorial at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery-Central in Radcliff.

Twisted metal from the World Trade Center arrived last week. The beams — in the shape of a “distressed cross” — will be erected into a memorial. The goal is to have the memorial in place when the country commemorates the 10th anniversary of the attacks this year.

This is a Hardin County project, one the community as a whole should embrace and support — the memorial is for the greater good of Hardin County and is not isolated to city boundaries.

Samuel Young, a 1976 graduate of North Hardin High School and an administrative bureau chief with the FBI Terrorist Screening Center, came across the piece while searching remnants of the World Trade Center. When he found out there was a possibility he could bring it here, he jumped at it.

The piece of steel measures about 16 feet high and 6 feet wide. When the memorial is completed, the piece will be placed in granite with retaining walls, a sidewalk and benches to reflect on 9/11 and its impact.

Paying for the memorial falls on our shoulders. Total cost of the memorial is expected to be about $50,000, said Vine Grove Mayor Blake Proffitt, a member of the memorial committee.

Whether it is dropping in a pocket of change, writing a check or donating labor or supplies, this is a project that we all need to wrap our arms around.

A local committee is in place to manage the memorial.

At a ceremony last week, 9/11 Pentagon survivor Tony Rose spoke to the gathered crowd and touched the steel.

“Keep the memory alive,” he said. “Always remember.”

We have an opportunity to always vividly remember in Hardin County. Help if you can.

To contribute
A committee working to erect a memorial to the victims and survivors of the 9/11 terror attacks are seeking financial support, labor, materials or technical expertise from local residents. To assist, contact the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery-Central, visit any Republic Bank location or mail contributions in care of the Missing in Action Project at 2909 Iris Way, Louisville, Ky. 40220.