[Correspondent Column] 9/11 Memorial Also Faces COVID-19 Financial Crisis

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Memorial Day, the US holiday honoring fallen soldiers, is a solemn day, but most Americans remember it differently. Memorial Day, observed on the last Monday of May, also marks the beginning of the summer vacation season.

The "Tribute of Light" honoring the victims of the 9/11 attacks is being projected into the sky. The annual Tribute of Light was almost canceled this year due to financial difficulties faced by the organizers caused by COVID-19.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Americans take Memorial Day as an opportunity to travel for summer vacations by car, plane, or cruise. While not as long as the month-long vacations enjoyed by Europeans, Americans also place great importance on their summer holidays. Roads leading to the New Jersey beaches, known as the 'Jersey Shore,' experience severe traffic congestion during the vacation season, unlike usual.

Major tourist spots in New York are packed with visitors from around the world as well as from across the United States. The end of the vacation season is also marked by a public holiday: Labor Day, which falls on the first Monday of September. Labor Day signals the return of Americans to their daily routines.

This year, however, these meanings have lost their significance. Due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the usual vibrancy at popular vacation spots was absent. Roads to vacation destinations were clear, and airplanes that usually transported countless vacationers disappeared from airports. Cruise ships that sailed the Caribbean became COVID-19 'hot spots' and entered an indefinite hiatus. The time spent living in fear has already exceeded six months.

As the vacation season ended, September 11th arrived, the day when the pride of the United States was shattered by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Numerous memorial events were held not only at 'Ground Zero' in New York, the site of the attacks, but also at memorials and parks constructed using the steel beams from the collapsed buildings.

The way to commemorate 9/11 is through 'silence.' At memorial events, only moments of silence and calling out the names of the victims are permitted. Except for the US President, most attendees traditionally do not speak during the ceremony. There are so many victims that even calling out all their names takes a considerable amount of time. Typically, the event lasts about four hours. On the day of the tragedy, only the families of the victims are allowed at Ground Zero.

9/11 still holds a significant place in the minds of Americans. The core of the remembrance is 'We will never forget.' This atmosphere remains unchanged despite the COVID-19 situation. It carries a complex meaning of not forgetting the families and victims who perished in the terrorist attacks, as well as the shaken security of the United States.

One of the representative 9/11 memorial events is the 'Tribute in Light,' a powerful blue beam of light symbolizing the two fallen towers. Projected into the sky and visible from 60 miles away, this light has become a symbol of 9/11 remembrance. This year, many people remembered 9/11 by viewing this light.

However, the Tribute in Light almost disappeared due to financial difficulties caused by COVID-19. The event organizers cited concerns about COVID-19 infection during equipment installation as a reason for not projecting the light, but there was another reason. Due to the prolonged closure of 9/11-related facilities amid the COVID-19 crisis, financial difficulties arose, and funds to install the lighting ran out. At the moment when the slogan "We will never forget" almost vanished into thin air, billionaire and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg stepped forward to cover the lighting installation costs, fortunately resolving the issue.

This year's threat of cancellation of the 9/11 event starkly illustrated the financial difficulties faced by public institutions in the United States. The United States Postal Service, which will be the foundation for mail-in voting in the presidential election, is also on the brink of bankruptcy. New York resolved its problem thanks to billionaire donations, but the financial crisis of local governments in the US is at a level that cannot be covered by individual donations.

The US, which has strictly adhered to the principle of beneficiary pays, is now experiencing another crisis as the number of beneficiaries decreases.