In an effort to raise awareness and funds for a September 11th memorial and fire fighters museum, the Freedom's Flame Memorial Committee took an eight day tour through California with the same 16 tons of steel from the World Trade Center Towers and damaged FDNY fire truck that successfully trucked across the country last summer. Hoping to raise $20,000 on this journey, the foundation exceeded their goal by collecting over $50,000, most of which were small donations, made by individuals, at the many stops along the route.
The Freedom's Flame Foundation grew from a concept by former San Bernardino County District Attorney and Vietnam Veteran, Dennis L. Stout. On the morning of September 11th, while watching the tragedies unfold, Dennis couldn't help but to imagine what the crowded stairwells were like, as frightened business people raced to exit the towers and brave rescue workers rushed in. He had been in those buildings before and could picture the scene. That image haunted him until he got the idea to build a memorial based on it. With the help of William Lecky, architect of the Vietnam War and Korean War Veterans Memorials in Washington DC and sculptor Larry Noble, a small-scale proposed memorial was designed and made, depicting the frantic scene and stairwell activity on that morning.
The City of Rancho Cucamonga has already donated a site within their borders to erect the memorial and build a fire fighters museum. The plan is to build two memorials - one for the west coast (Rancho Cucamonga) and one to offer to the City of New York. Freedom's Flame is not designed to be "the World Trade Center Memorial" or to compete with other memorials. It is simply a gift to New York from the people of California in recognition of the sacrifices made by so many on that fateful day. The memorial, which will be thirty-five feet tall and include thirty life-size figures constructed and cast in stainless steel (the same material of the Trade Center's exterior), won't be fenced in or put on a pedestal, but instead be open and accessible to viewers, who will be allowed to walk among the figures. The memorial is quite striking and well-designed. With an estimated cost of around $15 million, donations from both individuals and, more importantly, corporate America, will be crucial to the success of this project. That is where this California tour came into play.
Along with the damaged FDNY fire truck and the 16 tons of steel from the World Trade Center wreckage, a chunk of limestone from the Pentagon's facade and three pieces from the plane that crashed outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania, were also brought on the trip. Eventually, these items will end up in the future fire fighters museum in Rancho Cucamonga, but for now they are being used to promote the project and give people the opportunity to "spend time" with these objects which they wouldn't normally have access to.
The tour began on Sunday, May 18th, with their first stop being in San Diego. From there, they headed north to Irvine (where we spent some time with them), Long Beach, Pasadena, Santa Barbara, Vandenberg AFB, San Jose and then Sacramento. From there, they headed south through Stockton, Tracy, Modesto, Fresno, Bakersfield and Victorville. On Sunday, May 25th, the procession ended in Rancho Cucamonga, where it began some eight days earlier. Record crowds formed at each and every location, especially at Vendenberg AFB and the city of Tracy. In Tracy, thousands of school children lined the streets and were allowed to leave school to see the items on display, and many took it upon themselves to donate a dollar.
The procession of vehicles on the "California Journey" included two trucks (one with the fire truck and one with the steel), four support cars and a CHP escort in the front and the back (sometimes there was two CHP units in front and two behind). Going down the highway, this convoy created quite a stir wherever it traveled. Donnie Harper and his orange 9-11 Pete (featured on our September 2002 cover) pulled the drop-deck trailer with the fire truck on it, while his wife Diana drove a daycab Pete (donated by Hill Crane Service) and pulled the steel. Diana took a beating driving that little truck, and should get some special recognition for the fine job she did.
To learn more about the foundation and
see pictures of the proposed memorial, go to www.freedomsflame.us
or call the foundation's chairman, Dennis Stout at (909) 989-5379 or Project
Director Sam Spagnola at (909) 315-3158. To make a donation by mail, send your
contribution to Freedom's Flame, P.O. Box 1239, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91729-1239.
Freedom's Flame is a nonprofit organization, so all donations are tax-deductible.
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