KEWASKUM — A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial in Kewaskum on Thursday afternoon.
About 100 people attended the event outside of the Kewaskum Municipal Annex.
The Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial, designed by a Kewaskum High School graduate, will be a space of reflection for many years for visitors from Kewaskum and Washington County, the state and beyond.
With a beam of steel recovered from the North Tower of the World Trade Center as its centerpiece, the memorial will serve to honor not only those who perished, including Kewaskum graduate Andrea Lyn Haberman, but also all those who responded to the atrocity of 9/11.
Andrea's father Gordy Haberman spoke at the event about what it meant to him and his family.
"There are parts of my wife, my daughter and myself that are haunted by 9/11, but what better way to turn it around celebrate the compassion and the dedication of the American public by building a monument celebrating those attributes of our country that we all hold dear," said Haberman.
Jessica Janz brought her daughter to the ceremony. She said she joined the military because of 9/11. She hopes her daughter never forgets the sacrifice men and women made responding to the attacks.
"Bringing her to this and having her understand it and realizing these things are important," said Janz of Kewaskum.
Remembers 9/11 Inc. is the 501(c)(3) formed to raise funds to build and maintain the memorial. It is the expectation of Kewaskum Remembers 9/11 Inc. that visitors will come away from this memorial with a better understanding of the events that went on that day, as well as a reaffirmation of the principles and privileges Americans share.
For more information, click here.
