The Last Column displays photos and
messages that tell the stories of those
who were lost at Ground Zero and
those who worked on the pile. Many of
those stories can be accessed through
an interactive display near the Last Col-
umn.
A TOUR OF DUTY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35
being here you realize – you hope – that the public is educated
about why we run to trouble and that we don’t run away.”
The 9/11 museum packs days of exhibits and artifacts that
can turn officers’ pain into pride, and the museum has tailored
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NEW JERSEY COPS
■ SEPTEMBER 2017
agency-specific programs and tours to enhance that expe-
rience. An entire day could be spent at the Last Column and
an accompanying interactive display of the stories behind the
notes and signatures on the beam.
Uncovered by workers during the nine-month recovery pe-
riod, this resilient steel remnant assumed symbolic status be-
cause first responders last reported to have been near the lobby
before the tower’s collapse were believed to be buried close by.
In March 2002, after the remains of some missing members of
FDNY Squad 41 were found in the area, a squad member paint-
ed “SQ 41” on the column to denote the recovery. Other agen-
cies have left similar markings.
Recovery workers, as well as relatives and friends of victims,
also placed mementos and inscriptions on the column. In ad-
dition to an American flag attached to the top, tributes include
notes to loved ones, patriotic messages, signatures, union stick-
ers, agency patches, photographs, memorial and prayer cards
and flowers.
“Symbolically, it was kind of like a beacon of strength to the
people who were working there every day,” Hulse commented.
“As it became adorned with people’s photos, signatures and
memories, you knew it was going to be something special one
day. The night they cut it down before we marched it out gave
us some closure; this part of it was over and opened the door to
the next part, the rebuilding and the recovery of so much you
can’t really put into words.”
To put that feeling into words that can help law enforcement
officers overcome their reticence to visit, the 9/11 Museum
has developed a specialized program for first responders, mil-
itary members and the intelligence community. It’s a training
session focused on instilling some of the lessons that can be
learned from 9/11 about the success of the response and the
relentlessness that marks the way cops are at their best during