This year marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. Shortly after 9/11 the Memorial Bracelets website was launched, and the company began collecting stories from the friends and family members of the victims on 9/11. “There are raw emotions in these stories that will either remined you of the feelings you had on that day, or help you understand the grief felt by the loved ones of the victims,” said Rob Tacy, Founder of Memorial Bracelets.
While wearing a Vietnam War POW/MIA bracelet in the early 70’s for Major Leland Hildebrand, Rob Tacy thought about what the Major was going through every day as a prisoner of war while he was safe in America. Based on the deep personal connection that bracelet gave him to the POW, Rob wanted to know the meaning Memorial Bracelets had for those who currently wore them. To understand the reason, he began asking people to share the story behind why they wore theirs.
The following are some excerpts of stories received shortly after 9/11:
- “We lost my father’s best friend (my godfather) on Sept 11th, and it’s our way of keeping him close.”
- “Being a survivor of the WTC, I wanted to memorialize a New York City Firefighter. I will forever carry his name in my heart.”
- “I am on active duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. I wear it as a reminder of what we are fighting for and to remember the victims of that tragic day in September.”
- “My sister was Judy Larocque. She was on AA Flight 11. One never recovers from our tragedy, but at least I will not let her be forgotten.”
Because these first-hand testimonials were so moving, Memorial Bracelets and bracelet wearers began posting them to a blog located at https://www.whywear.com/. The blog contains almost 1,000 stories contributed over the past 20 years. Reading the stories of those lost at the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania takes you back to the emotions you felt in the days immediately following the attack. As preferences changed, people began posting their “Why Wear” stories to the Memorial Bracelets Facebook page. Over 400 of those have been added to the Memorial Bracelets website as Reflections for specific individuals at https://www.memorialbracelets.com/reflections
September 11th, 2021, marks 20 years since the 2001 terrorist attacks. Many will never forget the name of the person on their Vietnam War POW/MIA bracelet. For those wearing Memorial Bracelets, they too will always remember the name of the person they wore on their wrist in memory of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
About Memorial Bracelets
As a father of two young boys, Rob Tacy knew how devastating it would be for his family if he were suddenly gone and decided to raise funds for the children who lost one or both parents on 9/11. To accomplish this, he created the first Memorial Bracelet, launched www.MemorialBracelets.com on October 23rd, 2001 and began donating $2.00 of every product purchased to the Twin Tower Orphan Fund. Memorial Bracelets has donated $35,000 to that cause and over $332,000 in total to charities that support the families of victims and heroes. By request, the site has grown to include the names of military members KIA in Iraq and Afghanistan and those KIA, POW, MIA and RR during the Vietnam War. People can also request names be added to the site so others can be honored by completing a Special Request form at https://www.memorialbracelets.com/request.
