Memorials at Battleship Cove.

On September 11, 2001, at 08:46 AM an attack was initiated against several targets in the United States. By early afternoon on that day, both towers of the World Trade Center in New York City were destroyed. The partially demolished Pentagon in northern Virginia was on fire and a hijacked aircraft was downed in a farming field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. More than 3,000 lives, of citizens from around the world, were annihilated. Words cannot express either the horror that we felt or the pain and anger that engulfed the United States and the entire world.

On July 5, 2002, Governor Jane Swift approved a bill to erect a memorial at Battleship Cove for the Massachusetts victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Unanimously approved by House and Senate lawmakers, House, No. 4974 was proposed by Representative Robert Correia of Fall River and endorsed by Speaker of the House Thomas M. Finneran and Senator Joan M. Menard.

"I originally had the idea of putting it down here because it’s an American tragedy. It was an act of aggression against our country, against all of us, and that is why I thought it was important to be here among our other memorials,” said Correia.

Funding for this important project was provided by a $100,000 Commonwealth appropriation and more than $20,000 in private contributions from the Greater Fall River business community. Spearheaded by architect Anthony Waring with the cooperative support of the Massachusetts 9-11 Fund, Battleship Cove will unveil the memorial on October 8, 2006.

Were you there when it happened? We want to hear your story.

REMEMBERING 9/11: We will never forget where we were on September 11, 2001. The images of that day will torment us forever. But the images of fire and smoke, of deformed metal and chaos are not the only ones we will never forget.

We will also never forget the decisive faces of firefighters, police officers and paramedics rushing to help those in peril. We will never forget these rescue workers, coated in ash, searching for survivors, as the skeletons of skyscrapers leaned dangerously above them. We will never forget Americans lighting candles and holding hands, praying and singing, as they faced an uncertain future.

In a continuing effort to preserve a permanent record of the American Experience, Battleship Cove seeks eyewitness accounts of the 9/11 tragedy for our award-winning oral history program. If you were at Ground Zero in New York, or a witness to the attack on the Pentagon, please contact Battleship Cove.

WOMEN PROTECTING US: While formal military status for US women began in 1942, women have always borne the burden of military conflict. Often unrecognized, their contributions paved the way for the legions of women...Ctd.

MEMBERSHIP: Patriotism is alive at Battleship Cove. The Commonwealth's official memorial for 9/11, WWII and the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf Wars, this nonprofit memorial museum is dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifices of America's veterans. Please follow this link to learn how you can join our cause as a member and visit Battleship Cove for free all year long!