Rosewood volunteers will soon have piece of World Trade Center
By Ty Johnson
Published in News on September 11, 2011 12:58 AM
When the towers of the World Trade Center were struck 10 years ago, firefighters from around New York City headed to what would become known as ground zero after the towers fell.
Rescue workers continued to stream in from all over to dig through rubble in hopes of finding survivors.
Nestled in western Wayne County, Rosewood Volunteer Fire Department was not part of the initial rescue efforts, although each member was touched as their colleagues headed into harm's way to save lives.
But it wasn't long before members of the Rosewood Volunteer Fire Department were called into harm's way themselves. In fall of 2009, three members of the department had been or were in Afghanistan, and that's when Assistant Chief Chris Overman saw that a Boy Scout had requested a portion of the steel from the ground zero wreckage as part of a project.
Overman thought having a piece of the wreckage on display would be a perfect way to make sure those lost on and since Sept. 11 would not be forgotten and to honor his colleagues who had been deployed overseas, so he drafted a letter and sent it to the Port Authority of New York City requesting a piece.
It took nearly half a year to hear back, but Overman received word that Rosewood was on track to get a piece of the wreckage, and since then, it has been constant back-and-forth email correspondence concerning size, weight and, most recently, insurance issues with transporting the steel from New York to North Carolina.
The piece, Overman says, weighs about 460 pounds and is 4 feet long and 2 feet wide. He said the department aims to construct a curio case for the piece and have it on public display between photos of the rescue effort at ground zero.
Overman had hoped to have the piece in place before the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, but arranging for insurance as the steel is transported down the coast has proven to involve more red tape than first thought.
"People ask me when we'll have it, and I say 'It's taken over two years, so I'm not expecting it anytime soon.' I'm hoping in the next month."
Chief Steve Harrison said that if the piece is unable to be shipped, someone will drive up in one of their personal vehicles to pick it up.
"It's already been approved. We're just waiting for the underwriters for insurance to get it. When they get it approved, we'll have it," he said.