Indiana 9/11 Memorial

Indiana 9/11 Memorial is a memorial in downtown Indianapolis dedicated to those killed in the September 11 attacks. It was begun early in 2010 as a grassroots effort. Greg Hess, a firefighter paramedic with the Indianapolis Fire Department, was the primary lead of the initiative. In 2001, Hess was a member of Indiana Task Force 1 (INTF-1), one of the first FEMA Search and Rescue teams to arrive at Ground Zero. INTF-1 spent 8 days in New York assisting the local agencies in the rescue and recovery efforts.

Indiana 9/11 Memorial

39.7700°N 86.1659°W / 39.7700; -86.1659
Location	421 West Ohio Street Indianapolis, Indiana
Material	Steel and granite
Opening date	September 11, 2011
Dedicated to	Victims of the September 11 attacks
Website	indiana911memorial.org

The Indiana 9/11 Memorial is located at 421 West Ohio Street, next to Indianapolis Fire Station 13 along the Indiana Central Canal. It is a part of a city landscape that includes the USS Indianapolis Memorial and the Medal of Honor Memorial. The focal point of the memorial consists of two 11,000-pound (5,000 kg) beams from the Twin Towers. Behind the beams stand a pair of six-foot tall black granite walls inscribed with remembrances of the events in New York City; Washington, D.C.; and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Perched atop one of the beams is a bronze, life-size sculpture of an American bald eagle, with wings outstretched and gazing east toward New York City.[1]

In 2010, Hess petitioned the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to obtain the steel beams from JFK Airport Hangar 17,[2] which housed all the artifacts recovered from the World Trade Center.[3] Over 11,000 motorcyclists escorted a semi truck carrying the memorial beams to Indianapolis, a procession that was estimated at over 47 miles (76 km) in length.[4]