World Trade Center I-Beam finds home in Afghanistan
By Army Sgt. Spencer Case 
This beam from the World Trade Center, which is 9' long, 2' wide and weighs more than 950 lbs, was donated to the U.S. military by the residents of Breezy Point, New York, through an org. called Sons and Daughters of America, Breezy Point. 


BAGRAM AIRFIELD — An I-beam that was once a part of the World Trade Center now has a home in Afghanistan, where the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were first planned.  As a tribute to the beam’s arrival at Bargram Airfield, troops at Bagram flew a CH-47 Chinook helicopter around the installation, with the beam displayed hanging in a cargo net, March 31.  Several troops who were first responders to the attacks on the World Trade Center accompanied the TF Falcon troops on the half-hour flight. The U.S. flag that flew with the beam, along with another displayed from the back hatch of the helicopter, will be given as a token of appreciation to the residents of Breezy Point, New York, who shipped the beam at a cost of approx $5,000.

The City of N.Y. had given a number of beams to the residents of Breezy Point, after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that killed 29 residents from the small neighborhood in Queens.  After the residents erected a permanent monument facing Manhatten, Sons and Daughters of America donated the remaining 3 beams to the military.  One is at the recently opened infantry museum at Fort Benning, Ga., and the other is aboard the aircraft carrier, U.S.S. Nimitz, along with Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian Quinn Jr., whose father was instrumental in organizing Sons and Daughters of America.

U.S. Army Maj. Stephen J. Ryan, a governance planner for Combined Joint TF-82 from Breezy Point, who responded to the attacks as an off-duty police officer, and was activated for 3 months with the N.Y. NG in recovery efforts, said the display of the 3rd beam in Afghanistan is “a fitting tribute.”

A ceremony for the beam’s arrival is tentatively scheduled for the first half of April.  In accordance with the org’s vision, the beam will remain at Bagram as long as U.S. troops are deployed to Afghanistan.  After that, it will most likely end up in a museum at Fort Bragg, N.C., similar to the beam at Fort Benning.

“I think this is going to be very symbolic to show our response and how we responded to the attacks, and how we’re helping the people of Afghanistan,”  said Army Maj. Lisandro Murphy, another  Sept. 11, 2001, responder who now works as info ops planner with CJTF-82 future ops.

Ryan, who had been working with Sons and Daughters, said the date of the flight was not significant, but that it was long in coming. “I just want, again, to thank the residents of Breezy Point, New York. 

A CH-47 Chinook helicopter flown by aviators from TF Falcon carry a sling-loaded I-beam from the World Trade Center, and display an American flag

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