USS New York Receives Piece of World Trade Center

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Corey Lewis, USS New York Public Affairs

NORFOLK (NNS) -- World Trade Center Steel Foundation Vice President Ken Senter, along with Oak Ridge, Tenn. high school students, presented USS New York (LPD 21) with a piece of steel from the World Trade Center Sept. 17 in Norfolk.

Cmdr. Curt Jones, USS New York commanding officer, accepted the 42-pound piece of steel on behalf of the crew during a brief ceremony in the ship's pilothouse.

"Events like these renew the ties between the ship, the state of New York and the nation," Jones said. "It's important we keep it fresh in our minds to reinforce bonds with people not on the ship, and that's what today's ceremony was about."

The event is part of an ongoing effort for Oak Ridge High School student council members who took on the challenge of delivering a piece of the steel column to all 50 States.

"It's important for the kids to bring this piece of steel to show their support and the support of [the] city," Senter said.

Senter explained how the steel illustrated what happened on 9/11. The piece presented to the ship included support bolts that had been bent and sheared off from the weight of the building as it collapsed.

The column was given to the school by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

"This is an amazing project, and I am so pound to be a part of it," said Calvin Cummings, Oak Ridge High School Student Council vice president. "It shows that we have not lost sight of what happened."