The Rolling Memorial

Last updated

The Rolling Memorial is a semi-trailer truck painted with a mural intended to honor the victims of the 9/11 attacks. [1] The project was conceived by John Holmgren of Shafer, Minnesota in the United States after hearing the song "Have You Forgotten" by country singer Darryl Worley. [2]

An over-the-road truck driver, Holmgren transformed his 18-wheeler into the tribute with the help of a mural artist. [3] The mural image, along with the names of the victims of the attack, were printed onto vinyl sheets and applied to the truck at a cost of nearly $40,000 USD. [2] Holmgren sold t-shirts, toy models of the truck [4] and other merchandise to cover expenses but has nonetheless gone into debt. [5]

Holmgren attributes the popularity of his truck to an e-mail forward, which apparently started in 2004 with a food company employee who photographed the truck. The e-mail eventually made its way into the hands of celebrities such as Jimmy Buffett and Reba McEntire, who then asked Holmgren to bring his truck to their concerts. The truck was also invited to "ground zero" for a special commemorative ceremony in 2004. [6]

Holmgren displays the truck all over the U.S. and continues to use it to transport freight when possible. [1] In an interview with the Star Tribune, he said "Troopers pull me over just to get a picture with the truck. Once I even got out of a ticket. The guy said, 'I can't give this to you, knowing what you're doing.'" [2] Holmgren has received emails from over 20 countries, and there are several websites devoted to his truck. [2] He has also met with families of 9/11 victims. [2]

There was a plan to donate the truck to New York City in 2006, [7] but there is no evidence this has happened.

Notes

  1. 1 2 Smith, Robert (11 September 2005). "One Man's Moving Sept. 11 Memorial : NPR". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Kersten, Katherine (2005-08-11). "One man and a big truck take on the duty of patriotism". Think Again. Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2005-08-13. Retrieved 2006-12-18. One Minnesotan -- John Holmgren, a truck driver from Shafer […] turned his 18-wheeler into a rolling memorial to the Americans who died that day. […] One day in 2003, he and a buddy were listening to the radio when country singer Darryl Worley's song about 9/11, 'Have You Forgotten?' came on. An idea flashed into Holmgren's head: 'Wouldn't it be cool to do a 9/11 truck?'
  3. "Roll-On!". www.signindustry.com. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
  4. "Code 3 Collectibles KCFD Truck 15 Review". www.fireengines.net. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
  5. Vantran, K L (3 May 2004). "Big Rig Honors Those Who Perished Sept. 11, 2001". DefenseLink News. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
  6. Garber, Bette S. (2005-11-10). Custom Semi. MBI Publishing Company. p. 98. ISBN   978-0-7603-2133-1. OCLC   61200816 . Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  7. Garber, Bette S. (October 2004). "'The Rolling Memorial'". RoadStar. Vol. 6, no. 10. Newport Communications Group. pp. 34, 38. Archived from the original on 2007-08-08. Retrieved 2007-09-10.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Airlines Flight 77</span> Domestic passenger flight hijacked as part of September 11 attacks; crashed into the Pentagon

American Airlines Flight 77 was a scheduled domestic transcontinental passenger flight from Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia to Los Angeles International Airport in California. The Boeing 757-223 aircraft serving the flight was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists on the morning of September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The hijacked airliner was deliberately crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, killing all 64 aboard and another 125 in the building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mychal Judge</span> American priest and 9/11 victim (1933–2001)

Mychal Fallon Judge, OFM, was an American Franciscan friar and Catholic priest who served as a chaplain to the New York City Fire Department. While serving in that capacity he was killed, becoming the first certified fatality of the September 11 attacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memorials and services for the September 11 attacks</span> List of September 11 attack memorials and services

The first memorials to the victims of the September 11 attacks in 2001 began to take shape online, as hundreds of webmasters posted their own thoughts, links to the Red Cross and other rescue agencies, photos, and eyewitness accounts. Numerous online September 11 memorials began appearing a few hours after the attacks, although many of these memorials were only temporary. Around the world, U.S. embassies and consulates became makeshift memorials as people came out to pay their respects.

Charities and relief agencies raised over $657 million in the three weeks following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the vast bulk going to immediate survivors and victims' families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Airlines Flight 175</span> 9/11 hijacked passenger flight

United Airlines Flight 175 was a domestic passenger flight from Logan International Airport in Boston to Los Angeles International Airport in California that was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists on the morning of September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The aircraft involved, a Boeing 767-200 carrying 65 passengers and crew, was deliberately crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone aboard and causing the deaths of more than 600 people in the South Tower's upper levels in addition to an unknown number of civilians and emergency personnel on floors beneath the impact zone. Flight 175's hijacking not only led to it being the second-deadliest of the four suicide attacks carried out on the day in terms of plane and ground fatalities, but also secured its place as second-deadliest plane crash in aviation history, surpassed only by American Airlines Flight 11.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aftermath of the September 11 attacks</span> Effects and subsequent events of the September 11 attacks

The September 11 attacks transformed the first term of President George W. Bush and led to what he has called the war on terror. The accuracy of describing it as a "war" and its political motivations and consequences are the topic of strenuous debate. The U.S. government increased military operations, economic measures, and political pressure on groups that it accused of being terrorists, as well as increasing pressure on the governments and countries which were accused of sheltering them. October 2001 saw the first military action initiated by the US. Under this policy, NATO invaded Afghanistan to remove the Taliban regime and capture al-Qaeda forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penny-farthing</span> Bicycle with a large front wheel and a much smaller rear wheel

The penny-farthing, also known as a high wheel, high wheeler or ordinary, is an early type of bicycle. It was popular in the 1870s and 1880s, with its large front wheel providing high speeds, owing to it travelling a large distance for every rotation of the legs, and comfort, because the large wheel provided greater shock absorption.

Global Hybrid Cooperation, formerly Advanced Hybrid System 2 (AHS2), is a set of hybrid vehicle technologies jointly developed by General Motors, Daimler, and Chrysler LLC, with BMW joining in 2005. It uses 2 or 3 planetary gearsets in an automatic transmission: one on the internal combustion engine (ICE) side paired with a second, forming the compound split, and possibly one third additional planetary gearset to multiply the number of fixed gear ratios. General Motors has stopped using the "AHS2" name as of 2006, preferring to call it simply a two-mode hybrid system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Trucks</span> American guitarist, bandleader and songwriter

Derek Trucks is an American guitarist, songwriter, and founder of The Derek Trucks Band. He became an official member of The Allman Brothers Band in 1999. In 2010, he formed the Tedeschi Trucks Band with his wife, blues singer/guitarist Susan Tedeschi. His musical style encompasses several genres and he has twice appeared on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He is the nephew of the late Butch Trucks, drummer for the Allman Brothers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darryl Worley</span> American singer-songwriter

Darryl Wade Worley is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to DreamWorks Records Nashville in 1999, Worley released four albums for the label: Hard Rain Don't Last (2000), I Miss My Friend (2002), Have You Forgotten? (2003), and Darryl Worley in 2004. After the label closed in 2005, he moved to 903 Music, an independent label owned by Neal McCoy, releasing Here and Now in 2006, shortly before that label's closure. His most recent studio release is 2009's Sounds Like Life via Stroudavarious Records, owned by James Stroud.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darryl Jones</span> American bassist

Darryl Jones is an American bassist. He has been recording and touring with the Rolling Stones since 1993. He has also played in bands with Miles Davis and Sting, among others.

New Venture Gear was an automobile and light truck transmission company that was started in 1990 as the first-ever joint venture between any of the Big Three U.S. automakers. General Motors and Chrysler Corporation were the participants. Operation and management of Chrysler's New Process Gear plant in Syracuse, New York, and GM's underutilized Hydramatic transmission plant in Muncie, Indiana, were shifted to New Venture Gear Company.

"Have You Forgotten?" is a song about the September 11 attacks recorded by American country music artist Darryl Worley, who wrote it with Wynn Varble. It was released in March 2003 as the first single and title track from his 2003 compilation album of the same name. It was a number one hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for seven weeks, reaching it after five weeks on the chart. The song also peaked at number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it Worley's biggest mainstream hit. On June 30, 2023, he released another version of this song called "Have We Forgotten".

The following list contains dates beyond October 2001 involving the September 11 attacks.

A thermal imaging camera is a type of the thermographic camera used in firefighting. By rendering infrared radiation as visible light, such cameras allow firefighters to see areas of heat through smoke, darkness, or heat-permeable barriers. Thermal imaging cameras are typically handheld, but may be helmet-mounted. They are constructed using heat- and water-resistant housings, and ruggedized to withstand the hazards of fireground operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Cassidy</span>

Stephen Cassidy was the longest serving President of the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York (UFA) in its 100-year history. He was first elected to the position in August 2002 and is the only UFA President in the union's history to be elected directly out of a firehouse. In 2016, Cassidy resigned his position as UFA President to serve as the executive director of the New York City Fire Pension Fund. In 2018, following his arrest for driving while intoxicated, New York City Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro removed Cassidy from his position as executive director of the New York City Fire Pension Fund.

A specialized set of jargon describe the tools, equipment, and employment sectors used in the trucking industry in the United States. Some terms may be used within other English-speaking countries, or within the freight industry in general. For example, shore power is a term borrowed from shipping terminology, in which electrical power is transferred from shore to ship, instead of the ship relying upon idling its engines. Drawing power from land lines is more efficient than engine idling and eliminates localized air pollution. Another borrowed term is "landing gear", which refers to the legs which support the front end of a semi-trailer when it is not connected to a semi-truck. Some nicknames are obvious wordplay, such as "portable parking lot", in reference to a truck that carries automobiles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casualties of the September 11 attacks</span> September 11 enumeration

The September 11 attacks of 2001 caused the deaths of 2,996 people, including 2,977 victims and 19 hijackers who committed murder–suicide. Thousands more were injured, and long-term health effects have arisen as a consequence of the attacks. New York City took the brunt of the death toll when the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan were attacked, with an estimated 1,600 victims from the North Tower and around a thousand from the South Tower. Two hundred miles southwest in Arlington County, Virginia, another 125 were killed in the Pentagon. The remaining 265 fatalities included the ninety-two passengers and crew of American Airlines Flight 11, the sixty-five aboard United Airlines Flight 175, the sixty-four on American Airlines Flight 77 and the forty-four who boarded United Airlines Flight 93. The attack on the World Trade Center's North Tower single-handedly made 9/11 the deadliest act of terrorism in human history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">34th Street Wall</span> Retaining wall in Gainesville, Florida, US

The 34th Street Wall is a 1,120-foot-long retaining wall along SW 34th Street in Gainesville, Florida. It was constructed in 1979 by the Florida Department of Transportation to prevent erosion on the adjoining University of Florida golf course when the road was widened from two to four lanes, necessitating cutting through a small hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tribute Park</span> Public park in Queens, New York

Tribute Park is a 0.83-acre (0.34 ha) public green space in the Rockaway Park neighborhood of Queens, New York City. It is located at the corner of Beach Channel Drive and Beach 116th Street, facing Jamaica Bay.