From Zero to Hero: Ground Zero and St. Paul's Chapel

After our touristy excursion over the Brooklyn Bridge, Marc brought us to St. Paul's Chapel, one of the Trinity Churches in New York City. This church served as a hospital site after the events of 9/11, where many lives were both lost and saved. Today, the chapel no longer serves as a regular church, rather serving the community as more of a remembrance site. Inside, the chapel walls are lined with exhibitions of memorabilia that once decorated the outer gate of St. Paul's while it served as a hospital in the months following 9/11. If I correctly recall, when all the cards, photos, wreaths, etc. were taken down from the gate after many months, the materials filled 250 boxes, which the church then archived.

   In terms of my own experience, even before I entered the chapel, I could feel chills running down my spine. I could feel all the heartache well up inside of me as I experienced each bit of history -seeing faces and names of those who had fallen in the line of duty, notes from families and friends, uniforms preserved from the ruble- but what truly brought me to tears was this one short letter written by a young girl from California. This girl didn't know anyone hurt, have any relatives in the area, or had even visited the Big Apple before; but her letter, written to all those affected, captured the innocence and sincerity of a child reaching out to her fellow countryman and woman.

   As we proceeded to Ground Zero from the chapel cemetery, where many from the Revolutionary War era lay, I thought about how we all are soldiers, whether we are buried with a flag beside us or not. We all have been affected by tragedy in some way, shape, or form; and we all battle with it in our own ways. But when we can fight alongside each other, sharing the burden, not worrying about glory or renown, that is when we are true heroes.