Veteran and community activist Don Addy has spent years bringing seven distinct artifacts made from World Trade Center steel to Colorado Springs. Each piece stands at a military or educational site, offering a tangible reminder of the nation’s unity after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Fort Carson displays two memorials
Two of the artifacts are located on Fort Carson. One sits outside the base, a twisted steel device that Addy says was “laying on the floor, all mangled and twisted” before he selected it for the memorial. The second piece resides in the Fort Carson Museum and was presented to a soldier whose father perished in the 9/11 attacks. The soldier, after deploying to Afghanistan, installed the memorial at his forward operating base so fellow service members could see it, then returned it to Fort Carson when his tour ended.
Cheyenne Mountain and UCCS partnership
At Cheyenne Mountain, a beam crafted by University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) students bears quotes from President George W. Bush’s September 11 address: “We will not tire. We will not falter. We will not waver. We will not fail.” The beam faces the university, symbolizing the connection between the two sites.
Professor Peter Gorder of UCCS points out a companion piece on campus that mirrors the Cheyenne Mountain monument. “If you look at this artifact here it is pointing right at Cheyenne Mountain, it’s sister monument,” he explained. “The general design is the same. You’ve seen the globe that the big beam goes through, and this is a companion piece to it.”
Space Force bases honor the fallen
Peterson Space Force Base hosts an artifact oriented toward New York City. Retired Air Force veteran Karl Fruendt describes the base’s memorial shape as a Pentagon, meant to recall the victims of the Pentagon attack. Soil from Shanksville, Pennsylvania—where Flight 93 crashed—is embedded in the memorial, linking the three sites of the tragedy.
Schriever Space Force Base features another monument whose pathway represents the flight routes that led to the World Trade Center, providing a visual narrative of the events of that day.
Air Force Academy tribute
The final artifact stands at the United States Air Force Academy. It incorporates two granite slabs symbolizing the twin towers, with a central steel piece suspended between them. The base of the monument again takes the shape of the Pentagon, uniting all three attack sites in a single design.
Community impact and purpose
Addy emphasizes that these monuments serve both as a tribute to the service members from Colorado Springs and as a reminder of the nation’s resilience. “I want to be sure that we paid respect to all those people who have served our nation from Colorado Springs,” he said.
Local residents and military families have responded positively, noting the artifacts’ role in fostering patriotism and remembrance. The installations also provide educational opportunities for students at UCCS and cadets at the Air Force Academy, who can study the artifacts as part of broader lessons on American history and civic responsibility.
Looking ahead
As the 25th anniversary of the attacks approaches, Addy hopes the monuments will continue to inspire future generations. “From destruction comes creation,” he reflected, underscoring the belief that honoring the past strengthens the community’s shared values of faith, family, and liberty.
Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.
