 |
 |
Ambassador Martin J. Silverstein
addresses members of the press at the Sept. 11 commemoration
at Noa-Noa fishing club. |
From left:
Carlos Dominguez, Reina Dominguez, President Jorge
Batlle and Ambassador Silverstein flip switches to
turn on twin beams of light at the Embassy. |
 |
|
Ambassador Silverstein and President
Batlle with relatives of Alberto Dominguez, who died
in a Sept. 11 plane crash. |
Reina Dominguez listens as her
brother, Carlos, speaks to the press after the ceremony. |
Two beams of light illuminated the sky above
the U.S. Embassy Wednesday night (Sept. 10) to remember
the tragic terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept.
11, 2001.
The lights, situated in the Embassy garden,
represent the fallen twin towers in New York. A sign bearing
the words, "Para Recordar" (to remember), stands
tall along the Embassy wall.
Two relatives of Alberto
Dominguez, an Uruguayan native who died in the Sept. 11
attacks, joined Uruguayan President Jorge Batlle and U.S.
Ambassador Martin J. Silverstein to turn on the lights in
a ceremony held at the Noa-Noa fishing club. The lights
shone again Thursday night (Sept. 11).
Just before turning on
the lights, the Ambassador urged those listening to "remember
the deaths of 2,948 people, people of many nations, ordinary
people, who were murdered because fanatics used flesh and
blood people as pawns of their hateful politics." He
added that the world must band together to fight terrorism.
Ambassador Silverstein had invited Reina
and Carlos Dominguez to participate in the event. Their
brother, Alberto Dominguez, originally
from Uruguay, was killed in the Sept. 11 attack on New York.
He was one of 92 passengers on board American Airlines Flight
11from Boston, Mass., that was hijacked and crashed into
the north tower of the World Trade Center.
After the ceremony, Carlos
Dominguez became emotional as he thanked the press for gathering
to remember his brother.
"My brother always loved this country
and worked very hard to promote Uruguayan sports in moments
of adversity," Dominguez said. "I hope you will
remember my brother every year on this date."
Ambassador Silverstein's complete
remarks
"Chiseled on the marble of many war
memorials are the words “lest we forget.” Tonight,
with two lights representing the fallen towers, we remember
the deaths of 2,948 people, people of many nations, ordinary
people, who were murdered because fanatics used flesh and
blood people as pawns of their hateful politics. The lives
of these 2,948 where they came
from, what they did, who would mourn them, did not matter
to their murderers. Sept. 11 was the culmination of a decade
of terrorism, each bloody act exceeding the last. Unless
the world fights against terrorism together, the terrorists
will give us more occasions to say, 'lest we forget.'”
American
Association message for 9/11
