9/11 Victims Remembered In Bucks County
by Tim Jimenez
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- For the 15th Anniversary of the September 11th attacks, many gathered at the Garden of Reflection in Lower Makefield Township to honor the 18 victims from Bucks County who died, and the nearly 3,000 victims in all who were killed in the terror attacks.
The names of the Bucks County victims were read, and the bell tolled.
One of those remembered here is Michael Andrew Bane, who was in the North Tower on 9/11.
His wife Tara always carries with her, their final moment together.
"He left that morning as he usually did. Kissed me goodbye and told me he loved me. I told him, 'Be careful,' and I never saw him again," Tara said.
And in the days, months, and years since that fateful day, she says she struggled with how to put one foot in front of the other. With Michael, they planned on starting a family.
Still, as time moves forward, Tara says she discovered how she could move along with it.
"I was given the gift of a child later on, and I'm grateful for that. And, as I said in my speech, I move on but I don't forget him," she said.
Of the 18 victims from Bucks County, nine were from Lower Makefield.
Among those at the remembrance ceremony was CJ. Only 14 years old, he wasn't born yet when his father, John, was working in New York City when the attacks happened.
"He made it out that day. He said he came home on a ferry just covered in ash. My mom was thankful he made it out," said CJ.
He says 9/11 may have happened before he was born, but because of how it touched his family and so many others, he says he does whatever it takes to honor the victims and embrace their families.
"We can all stand together as a community and help get through this," said CJ.
It's a day that's impossible to forget for so many, including Annie Edwards. She was in New York City the day of attacks, waiting outside at a tea shop.
"We all stood up, because the plane went right over our heads, and then we heard the big bang," she recalled.
The images from the day are burned into her mind.
"Paper everywhere in the air. Everywhere paper, just flying in the air, like copy paper," she said.
Along with her drive home.
"I could see in my rear-view mirror, because I was on 6th Avenue, the buildings fall," said Edwards.
15 years later, and for the first time, Annie decided to go to a ceremony remembering 9/11. She says it felt right, and she chose to come to the Garden of Reflection.
