Ninth-grader Charlie Hernandez, of Abington, didn’t exist to witness 9/11, but she thinks about that day often. A memorial is in her town for resident Jeffrey Coombs who was on American Airlines Flight 11.
“When I walk my dog, I walk past a piece of the World Trade Center,” she said, referencing the 250-pound steel beam from the World Trade Center complex that sits atop a granite monument. “To me, 9/11 is a day of coming together to make a positive impact and difference in my community . . . as a resident of a town that was impacted by the events of 9/11 and is also home to a Gold Star family, I’ve always watched people turn tragedy into goodness.”
She was one of about 130 young people — people born years after 9/11 — who came to the Rose Kennedy Greenway to assemble care packages to send to American military personnel overseas and to unhoused veterans in Boston. It was an event organized by the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund and Project 351.
Fourteen-year-old Vanston Ly, of Quincy said he’s somewhat of a history buff, so the images and stories are arresting. But he said now, this 20th anniversary, he’s thinking about it from an altruistic point of view.
“The day has a new meaning to me — all the sacrifices that were made, the amazing heroes that went into the buildings to save others. It’s really inspirational,” he said, working with other teens to gather bags of necessities to donate to veterans in need. “If we work together, we can achieve a greater America and a greater world.”
Saturday brought back fresh hurt and healing for volunteer Gina Galarza, who was an adult who experienced 9/11 and the tremendous ensuing loss.
“They say never to forget and the only way you can never forget is to actively remember,” she said, packing comfort…