remembering victims of September 11

This is a tribute to Nurul Haq Miah, for Project 2996, in honor of the victims who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

Naurul Haq Miah was known as Miah to his friends, and co-workers. Miah was born in Bengladesh on June 2, 1966. He came to the United States in 1985 when he was 21. He married Shakila Yasmin (pictured above with Miah) on April 2, 2000.

Miah had worked for Marsh & McLennan for about 15 years as an audiovisual technician. He was in Tower One, on the 99th floor, attending a meeting when the first plane, American Airlines Flight 11, crashed into the building.

What was even more heartbreaking for me to discover was Miah’s wife, Shakila, was at work on the 97th floor of Tower One, when the plane crashed, and she died too. They had only been married a year-and-a-half. They were the only known couple who both died on September 11th. In 2006, they were honored by the United States when the southeast corner of the 3rd Avenue and Ovington Avenue in New York was renamed after Shakila Yasmin and Nurul Haque Miah.

When trying to decide how to honor Mr. Miah, facts and statistics only tell so much. I obviously never met him, but I found heart-felt words from people who had the pleasure of knowing Mr. Miah and his wife.

I discovered through their words that Miah always had a smile for his friends. So many people spoke of his positive and upbeat attitude. He was an avid outdoors man, who enjoyed camping, fishing, and hunting. Many people spoke of the genuine and real love that existed between Nurul and Shakila. One former colleague remembered Miah showing him the the executive floor in a corporate building owned by their company, where director Brian De Palma, filmed a scene with Sean Penn in the 1993 film Carlito’s Way.

Eight years is not a long period of time. Yet, reading about the sense of loss that Mr. Miah’s friends and family have experienced, it is obvious that not a day passes where the loss of his life is not felt, and they have carried that loss every single day.

Reading the words from people who loved him, it is clear to see that he touched so many lives and made so many people happy, just by being himself and living his life. That is a gift, and the people whose lives Mr. Miah touched have never forgotten his gifts.

Mr. Miah gave Wendy Murray one of these gifts just one day before he died. Ms. Murray’s account brought tears to my eyes, because I realized from her account, that we all have a Miah we know. The person that cheers you up- the person who always says hi to you- the person who is always in a good mood- the person who goes out of their way to make your day brighter. I think her words summarize what Mr. Miah meant to so many people- even to those of us who never met him:

“On September 10, 2001 I arrived to work with a frown on my face, frustrated by the hustle and bustle of the morning. Miah was walking doen the hall and asked me “where is my sunshine today” that is how he referred to my smile. I said “tough morning” and promised him a smile later on in the day. We talked a little bit about his weekend and went about our day. I don’t remember if I did give him a smile that day, but those words stay with me to this day. Miah was always able to make me smile, I just wish I had one that morning. I know your wonderful spirit is in a good place…”

I offer my sincere sympathy to Mr. Miah and Ms. Yasmin’s family and friends, and I am so sorry for your loss. I believe, like Ms. Murray, that their spirits are in a good place.

May all the innocent victims of September 11th, rest in peace. To their families and friends, we will never forget.

“Love is stronger than death even though it can’t stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can’t separate people from love. It can’t take away our memories either. In the end, life is stronger than death.” ~ Unknown

ShakilaYasmin

Nurul Haq Miah and Shakila Yasmin

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I am very honored this year to participate in Project 2,996 to remember the victims of September 11th.

I am writing a tribute to a person I never knew or never met, who lost his life eight years ago on that horrific day. The goal of Project 2,996 is to have all 2,996 innocent victims honored and remembered for their lives. From their blog:

9/11/09 will mark 8 years since the attacks of World Trade Center I and II, The Pentagon, Shanksville, American Airlines Flights 11 & 77, and United Airlines Flight 93 & 175.

On that day 2,996 people were ripped from their lives. But as the media and society tend to do, they have focused on the killers. We’ve all learned more about them than we wanted to. On that day many of us made a pledge to never forget what happened.

The bloggers… are trying to keep that promise by learning about the people who died that day.

On Friday morning I will have my tribute to a man whose life ended just as it was begining. I am devoting the time I have this week for blogging to writing his tribute.

Project 2,996 has about a thousand bloggers signed up to honor a victim. If you can help remember a victim you can sign up here.