The Children of 9-11

Among the nearly 3,000 who died in the attacks of 9-11 were nearly 1,500 parents. They left behind almost 3000 children under eighteen. For the past five years now, those children have grown up in the teeth of personal loss and national trauma. They've had to find their own way, their own separate peace — or not — with the world.

Today we'll talk with three young Americans who lost nearest and dearest loved ones at the World Trade Center on 9-11. All are now young adults, with their very own burdens, and dreams, and view of the post-9.11 world.

Hear a conversation with Brian Callahan, Melissa Shulman, and Kathleen Henry as they tell their stories and speak their minds.

Quotes from the Show:

"The first year [after] is a kind of blur." Melissa Shulman

"I never felt angry or cheated, and I would attest that to my parents." Brian Callahan

"We grieve together, and thank God, we're there for one another." Kathleen Henry

"It's a struggle for me to step back and look at it impersonally. " Melissa Shulman

"I like it when they [the media] show different programs on 9/11 because I want to understand what they [the victims] went through." Kathleen Henry

"[The US government decision] to go to Afghanistan and Iraq has not made sense to me." Brian Callahan

Guests:

Brian Callahan. His father, Liam Callahan, died Sept. 11 at age 44. Liam was a member of the Emergency Services Unit at the Port Authority and a 20-year police veteran. Liam left behind a wife, Joan, and four children, ages 17, 14, 13 and 11. Brian was the eldest and starting his senior year at Morris Catholic high school at the time. He is now 22 years old and a senior at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut.;
Kathleen Henry. Her brother, Joseph Patrick Henry, a firefighter with Ladder Co. 21 in Manhattan, died on Sept. 11 at age 25. A second brother, Michael, also a firefighter, retired on a disability due to his injured lungs from work at Ground Zero. Her father, Battalion Chief Edward Henry of the 40th Battalion in Brooklyn, was permanently disabled after being crushed under a portico on Sept. 11. Kathleen is 22 years old and currently in the graduate education program at Long Island University.Melissa Shulman. Her father, Mark Shulman, died on Sept. 11 at age 47. He was a risk consultant at Marsh and McLennan and worked on the 100th floor of Tower 1. He left behind his wife, Lori, and two daughters. Melissa is the eldest. She is now 22 and a political science major and senior at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey.