'Let us have our peace': 9/11 families urge mayor to skip Ground Zero anniversary

Monica Iken remembers her husband Michael Patrick Iken's final words on the morning of September 11, 2001: "He kissed me goodbye and said, ‘I love you; I’ll see you later.’" The couple, married for 11 months, was preparing to celebrate their second anniversary on September 9. Michael, a bond broker, was at his job in the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

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He kissed me goodbye and said, ‘I love you; I’ll see you later.’

Hours later, Michael called Monica, asking her to turn on the television. She saw the North Tower engulfed in flames. He reassured her, "Everything is fine, everything is okay. They said to stay where we are. Don’t worry.” He called back minutes later, his voice still calm, asking her to contact family and friends as "there’s a lot going on.” While on the phone, Monica watched in horror as a second plane, a jumbo jet, struck the South Tower, where Michael worked on the 84th floor. "I was frozen in space because he worked in tower two on the 84th floor,” she recalled.

By September 12, Monica's "nightmare had begun." She has never recovered any remains of her husband, not even a ring or ID. "To this day, I have no remains,” she told The Jerusalem Post. "I have nothing... not even a ring, not even an ID, nothing.” The reality of being newly married and facing the loss of her husband, who went to work but never came home, was devastating.

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Everything is fine, everything is okay. They said to stay where we are. Don’t worry.

In the aftermath of Michael's death, Monica founded September's Mission. The NGO's primary objective is to work with public and private partnerships to secure the acreage of the World Trade Center site. "We do not build over dead people in America,” she stated. Through their efforts, Monica and fellow advocates successfully secured half of the approximately 16-acre site for the Ground Zero memorial. "The good news is I have a place to go to honor my husband,” she said.

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I was frozen in space because he worked in tower two on the 84th floor.

Now, as the 25th anniversary approaches, families like Monica's are urging New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to skip the ceremony. They fear his presence could disrupt their day of mourning and disturb the sanctity of the memorial site, emphasizing their desire to "have our peace.”

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To this day, I have no remains. I have nothing ... not even a ring, not even an ID, nothing.