Chatham County 9/11 First Responders Memorial Shepherded by PreMIS Program Director Breaks Ground
From the Chapel Hill News article:
“The memorial, which will be located on U.S. 15-501 next to the Chatham County Courthouse, will feature a beam from one of the towers that will be installed in the ground and tilted nine degrees and 11 minutes facing directly toward Ground Zero in New York City.
About 100 people attended the ceremony, which was marked by an Honor Guard, prayers, a moment of silence, Taps and the ringing of the bell, which marks the death of fallen firefighters.
The idea for the memorial in Chatham County came from [PreMIS Program Director and] EMT Joe Fraser [(far right in inset picture)] after he read an article about a Florida Boy Scout who suggested to his community that it could build a memorial there using a beam from the World Trade Center.
Fraser wrote a letter to New York City authorities asking if Chatham County could receive a beam, and in March 2011 he got a letter from a federal judge saying Chatham County had been awarded one of the beams.
Jody Allen, a firefighter in Goldston, had a big rig, and he along with a couple of others, drove to New York City and hauled the 19-foot-long, 12,000 pound beam home.
Fraser and Allen, who are on the board of directors of the Chatham County 9-11 First Responders Memorial Foundation, are raising money and hoping the beam can be installed within the next couple of months.”
