Madrid's 11-M Memorial
I had originally intended to write this article a week ago. In the wake of the United States raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, I knew I had something to say. During the past week, that something has evolved as I’ve continued to watch the endless coverage and witnessed the world wide reaction from here in Spain. To further try and understand, I chose last week to visit the 11-M memorial at the Atocha Train Station in Madrid. Much like our own September 11th disaster, the Spanish too have had their brush with the senseless violence of radical terrorist groups.
On the morning of March 11, 2004, residents of the city of Madrid boarded the commuter trains or Cercanias as they had done many mornings previous. Like those who arrived at work in the twin towers on September 11th, 2001, they had no inkling that the events of that day would forever change their lives. Unbeknownst to the victims, there were others boarding the trains that morning who had an agenda of violence. In all, thirteen backpack bombs were carried onto the trains. Of the thirteen, ten would be detonated by bombers, while the other three were safely detonated by the authorities. Although not on the scale of the September 11th attacks in the United States, the Madrid bombings left 191 innocent people dead and injured an additional 1800. The attack was the worst ever on Spanish soil and the worst in Europe since the Lockerbie Bombing in 1988.
With the general election in Spain only three days after the bombing, many conspiracy theories were tossed about and most agree that the bombings cost incumbent Jose Marià Aznar of the Partido Popular the election. Immediately following the incident, Aznar speculated that the bombings were the actions of the ETA a Basque separatist group similar to the IRA in Ireland. Aznar’s speculation cost him the election to challenger and current Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
Later, after a 21 month investigation, it was determined that the ETA had nothing to do with the March 11th bombings. Instead, the attack was determined to have been carried out by a Moroccan terrorist leading a cell that was described as Al Qaeda inspired. Although no direct link has been found between Bin Laden or Al Qaeda and the Moroccan cell, it is impossible not to place some of the blame at their feet.
11-M Memorial (Street View)
Today, tucked away in the Atocha Train Station, the Spanish government has constructed a monument to the victims of March 11th, or 11-M as it is referred to here. From above ground, the monument looks like a coffee can set amidst a traffic circle, but viewed from inside the monument is a touching tribute to the many individuals who lost their lives in the attack. The interior of the memorial is painted a royal blue which sharply contrasts the light entering the space from above. The effect is breathtaking. As you near the skylight of the memorial you glimpse the touching messages scrawled in many different languages on the interior of the portal above. Some messages are memorials, while others aim to inspire hope in the face of evil. Coming in all languages, the text was chosen from the thousands of messages of condolence received in the days following the bombings. These emotional messages were then inscribed on a balloon like membrane that remains inflated in the cylinder through air pressure.
Interior of cylinder of the 11-M Memorial showing the messages of condolence.
As I stood looking up into the messages of condolence, I was struck by how similar our experiences are as human beings. Like many Americans I sat on my couch 9/11 and watched live as the world I lived in was forever transformed by a senseless act of cowardice. What Osama Bin Laden took from us that day was something that may never again be restored in the United States, at least not in my lifetime. He took our sense of security. Much like the surprise attack by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor in 1941, we never dreamed that such destruction could be possible on our shores. My own personal feeling though is that 9/11 was far worse than Pearl Harbor because those being attacked were not soldiers or government personnel. They were innocent citizens doing nothing more than going about their daily business as productive members of society. As difficult as it must be for those who have family members in the military, fire department, or police, they understand the risks that their loved ones face every day when they go to work. The same cannot be said for an accountant who worked on the 50th floor of one of the World Trade Center towers.
Moving forward ten years, I found myself again glued to the computer and news channels as coverage of the raid that killed Bin Laden was broadcast. What struck me this time was the varied reactions to the news. Some cheered and celebrated, while others condemned the celebration of any individual’s death, and one particular asinine football player tweeted a defense of Bin Laden. My reaction fell somewhere in the middle. I didn’t pop a bottle of champagne and head to the streets to celebrate, but I don’t fault those who did. In New York and Washington they were touched by the attacks in ways I’ll never fully understand.
What I find myself feeling is a sense of retribution. Retribution for all those innocent business men and women, for the accountants and stock brokers, for the police and fire fighters, the ones who went to work and never came home. They didn’t sign up to fight in Al Qaeda’s holy war, they simply got caught in the middle. For all of the innocent people and their families, I’m glad our government and our military kept after Bin Laden and I’m glad that even though it took ten long years, they got him. I refuse to feel guilt for the United States ridding the world of such pure evil.
These are the thoughts that swirled through my head as I stood looking up into Madrid’s 11-M memorial. Although my physical body was in Spain, my heart was back in the United States. Although it will never heal the pain and suffering of those that lost a loved one at Ground Zero, the Pentagon, or in Pennsylvania, I hope they find a sense of comfort in knowing that justice has been served.
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