9/11 25th ANNIVERSARY MEMORIAL

 

AL BRACA'S PRAYER MEETING Al Braca was a 54-year-old bond broker and vice president at Cantor Fitzgerald who led his trapped colleagues in prayer on the 104th floor of the North Tower during the September 11 terrorist attacks. He worked at Cantor Fitzgerald inside the World Trade Center for 16 years. Al Braca was openly Christian in a high-stress, ego-driven environment, earning him the gentle nickname "The Rev". As the North Tower burned on September 11, phones failed, and the floor was too hot to stand on. Escape was impossible, so Al climbed onto a desk to be seen by roughly 50 coworkers. He gathered them into a circle and led them in prayer and faith during their final moments. Al told them, "I'm going to see Jesus today! Who's coming with me?" Every single person from Cantor Fitzgerald in the North Tower that morning lost their life. But in the following weeks, the Bracas family members received multiple phone calls from spouses of Al’s coworkers who confirmed that "The Rev" spent his last moments comforting others and leading them in prayer.   All these years I have not published photos of the destruction on 9/11, out of respect. But now, 25 years later, it seems that younger generations do not understand the horror of that day, or why the 9/11 memorials are sacred ground. Innocent civilian lives were lost because of misguided terrorist hatred.  We must never forget what happened here, not for the sake of revenge; but to honor the victims and learn what happens when people devote themselves to hate. America needs to learn this lesson.