9/11 Dedication Exhibit

I had a conversation with a good friend the day before we dedicated our 9/11 Memorial. As I told him about the magnitude of the number of deaths, he mentioned a friend from South Bend who had lost a daughter in the attack. I asked the name and he said McCloskey. I immediately froze as I remembered seeing that name among the nine Hoosiers killed. Suddenly, I had a connection that made the atrocity hit home as my friend described how her death was such a devastating experience for her parents.

In the funeral business we memorialize a life one at a time. As I prepared my speech for the dedication I was overwhelmed by the number of individuals lost. I say individuals because we should never think of the victims as a group. Our memorial sculpture captured that as each victim is identified on their own medallion.

On Saturday, September 11, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens we held a special memorial and dedication event in honor of those 2,977 individuals. Please look on as we tell that story in pictures.

The 9/11 Memorial features 2,977 medallions with the names of those killed during the attacks. The nine Hoosiers have a blue state of Indiana medallion added to their names. (Look in the slash to see those medallions).
READ ARTICLE
To read “20 Years Later: Never Forget” by Pattie Martin Bartsche featured in American Cemetery & Cremation
READ ARTICLE
Here is a detail of the Memorial that feature a blue state of Indiana attached to the medallion of one of the nine Hoosiers killed in the attacks.
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A standing crowd filled the room for the service and dedication of the 9/11 memorial.
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After the service attendees walking in to see the Memorial for the first time.
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The Memorial concept was conceived by Flanner Buchanan’s President Tony Lloyd. Lloyd saw a Vietnam Memorial that featured dog tags and thought that the concept would be perfect for a 9/11 Memorial. Pictured is the Indianapolis-based creative team that constructed the Memorial: Bob Buchanan, Arlon Bayliss, and Mark Buchanan. (Buchanan’s are not related to Bruce W. Buchanan).
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Speaker Josh Bleill stands under the 9/11 Memorial. Bleill was living just down the street from Oaklawn Memorial Gardens when the attacks occurred in 2001. Having the Memorial so close is a special emotional connection for him.
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Josh Bleill was the featured speaker. The events of September 11, 2001, inspired him to join the U.S. Marine Corps. In 2006 he was deployed to Fallujah, Iraq. Then, it all went dark. A bomb exploded under the vehicle Josh was riding in. He woke up five days later to the realization that he had lost two friends and both of his legs in the blast. He spent two years of extensive rehabilitation.
Bleill shared his inspirational story. “It worked out. I got a job with the Indianapolis Colts. I travel and do public speaking. The American dream is very possible. Even after something like this, so devastating that I thought things were over, it still worked out. In America, if you keep working and things do go wrong, if you have that drive, it’s well alive. It’s always a possibility.”
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The 9/11 Memorial features 2,977 medallions with the names of those killed during the attacks. The nine Hoosiers have a blue state of Indiana medallion added to their names. (Look in the slash to see those medallions).
READ ARTICLE
To read “20 Years Later: Never Forget” by Pattie Martin Bartsche featured in American Cemetery & Cremation
READ ARTICLE
Here is a detail of the Memorial that feature a blue state of Indiana attached to the medallion of one of the nine Hoosiers killed in the attacks.
Button
A standing crowd filled the room for the service and dedication of the 9/11 memorial.
Button
After the service attendees walking in to see the Memorial for the first time.
Button
The Memorial concept was conceived by Flanner Buchanan’s President Tony Lloyd. Lloyd saw a Vietnam Memorial that featured dog tags and thought that the concept would be perfect for a 9/11 Memorial. Pictured is the Indianapolis-based creative team that constructed the Memorial: Bob Buchanan, Arlon Bayliss, and Mark Buchanan. (Buchanan’s are not related to Bruce W. Buchanan).
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Speaker Josh Bleill stands under the 9/11 Memorial. Bleill was living just down the street from Oaklawn Memorial Gardens when the attacks occurred in 2001. Having the Memorial so close is a special emotional connection for him.
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Josh Bleill was the featured speaker. The events of September 11, 2001, inspired him to join the U.S. Marine Corps. In 2006 he was deployed to Fallujah, Iraq. Then, it all went dark. A bomb exploded under the vehicle Josh was riding in. He woke up five days later to the realization that he had lost two friends and both of his legs in the blast. He spent two years of extensive rehabilitation.
Bleill shared his inspirational story. “It worked out. I got a job with the Indianapolis Colts. I travel and do public speaking. The American dream is very possible. Even after something like this, so devastating that I thought things were over, it still worked out. In America, if you keep working and things do go wrong, if you have that drive, it’s well alive. It’s always a possibility.”
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