I am presently a volunteer worker at the 9/11 Tribute Center located at Ground Zero in New York City. We at the Tribute Center Museum escort people from all over the world to view the massive footprints of the former World Trade Center, now hallowed memorials of cascading waterfalls. Both 9/11 survivors and I tell the story of what we witnessed on that horrific day to the background music of waterfalls.

On January 24th, 2014, I escorted four Asian gentlemen, two from Indonesia, one from Thailand, and one from Vietnam. It was bitter cold and windy day. The wind chill factor was around 25 degrees below zero. Yes, it was a bit- ing windy New York City evening. As we entered Ground Zero, it was about 4:45 pm and getting very dark. As the lights came on, they illuminated all the names on the walls around the waterfalls. All the names of all the victims of the 9/11 attack now gleamed. Just then, the night lights reflected off the titanic sanctum walls of polished ebony granite, casting a moonbow. As ice crystal curtains dangled off the waterfalls, they blushed, ice-white silver-blue across this huge reflective pool twinkling like diamonds mirrored bright. We were mesmerized as we stood frozen, gawking at the place. A beautiful, stunning, sparkling silver glow danced across the sanctum walls! A lunar rainbow streamlined across this hallowed place! What a magnificent illumination and what a breathtaking moment it was.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw the Vietnamese gentleman on our tour crying. I hugged him. I told him I knew how he felt, that I thought the same way. He stepped back. He replied, “You don’t understand! I never saw ice before.”