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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Twin Tower beams make journey through Inland Northwest

Folks gathered at Lone Wolf Harley Davidson in Coeur d'Alene to view the flag-draped World Trade Center  beams that were on display on Friday.  (Kathy Plonka)
People teared up and laid hands on two rusted, twisted beams draped with an American flag Friday in Coeur d’ Alene. The two 5,000-pound beams, taken from the wreckage of the Twin Towers, are traveling across the country for use in a 9-11 memorial park in Silverdale, just north of Bremerton. The park will honor the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and serve an educational role for future generations, organizers say. “If you want to get the feeling, climb up there and put your hands on the beams and say a prayer,” said John Ensminger, 67, of Post Falls, a Navy veteran. Ensminger is a part of the North Idaho Patriot Guard, which will escort the beams from Post Falls to Ellensburg on Sunday, along with Eastern Washington affiliates. The beams will be on display Saturday in Post Falls. In Ellensburg the Seattle Patriot Guard will meet the procession to escort the beams the rest of the way. Other spectators Friday included former Marines and firefighters, such as Mark Blackstone of Coeur d’Alene. “It’s hard to imagine the heat it takes to twist metal like that,” Blackstone said. “I don’t know how people can forget something like that.” On Aug. 10, Lee and Donna Summers, two truck drivers from Texas, collected the beams from hanger 17 at JFK International Airport in New York City, where much of the wreckage is stored. The couple said they have felt a range of emotions throughout their 10 days and 3,200 miles. “It feels awesome, we’re proud and excited. But when we stop people touch it and cry, and we feel it all over again,” Donna Summers said. Some people are upset that flags wrap the beams. Although the Summerses did not make the decision to use the flags, they said they support it. “We want people to know these are not steel beams, they are the remains of the World Trade Center during an act of war on the United States,” Lee Summers said. “They (represent) the remains of many people and they deserve to have the flag.” The Kitsap community had to apply to get the beams to make the memorial. The process took about nine months. Part of the reason Silverdale wanted the memorial is because it is a military community, said Ric Bornheimer of Gig Harbor. There’s a naval station, submarine base and ammunition shipping port, to name a few, clustered in Kitsap County. Organizers have not finalized a design or location for the memorial, Bornheimer said. They are raising funds; the memorial could cost up to $250,000. They do plan to have children design tiles to shape into a pentagon. Private donations funded part of the trip, although one organization headed by a Kitsap community member is still trying to raise funds. They still need to raise $10,600 for transportation costs. “It’s powerful to see,” said Ensminger. “Even for grownups, it’s emotional.”