35 cents
VOL. 4/ISSUE 38
THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016
Room with a view
America’s Dunkirk on 9/11 Mary Kemper STAFF WRITER
mkemper@veteranvoiceweekly.com
Photo by Roger Scruggs The newly expanded Brevard Veterans Memorial Center can be seen on a sunny day at Merritt Island. In the foreground are the Center’s vintage aircraft displays, and in the background, the Center’s new wing, including tower, can be seen. The expansion, which took place over the last two years, cost upwards of $2 million, and includes a roomy new Museum and extensive landscaping. There are military artifacts ranging from the Revolutionary War to current conflicts in the Middle East and the center educates the public on our military’s efforts both past and present in the free museum, library and plaza.
Some today remember Operation Dynamo in 1940 — “The Miracle at Dunkirk” — when more than 300,000 British troops were safely evacuated ahead of the German blitzkrieg by thousands of individual boats, large and small. Fewer even know that the U.S. had its own Dunkirk on Sept. 11, 2001, in New York. When the World Trade Center twin towers were attacked, hundreds of thousands of people ran from the scene in complete panic. Many ran south. When they reached the water’s edge, they thought they’d be stuck — but a new miracle was about to unfold. Regular transportation was cut off. Choking in the smoke-filled air, coated with toxic dust, more than half a million people stumbled their way to the water’s edge, where they were met by thousands of boat owners, ready to ferry them off of Manhattan to safety. Shortly after the second tower was struck, well before either tower fell, the fleet of boats began arriving. They were boats of all shapes and sizes — ferries, tugs, excursion boats, fireboats, buoy tenders, patrol boats and yachts. The Coast Guard played a major role, as it always does in emergencies. But the sailors were overwhelmed by the size and scope, and could only manage to help a relatively small number of people. On any given day, there are upwards of 2 million people commuting on and off Manhattan Island. So the Coast Guard put out a call to commercial vessels to help, and word-of-mouth did the rest. Thousands of boat owners mobilized to help, and within 9 hours, managed to help evacuate the
See DUNKIRK page 4