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| TWA 800 Flight Memorial - Smith Point Beach, Long Island, NY |
JULY 17, 2021, 25 years ago TWA Flight 800 in route to Paris France from JFK exploded over the Long Island coast, south of the Moriches Bay, killing all 230 souls on board. The origins of the explosion are disputed and very controversial. However on this Saturday evening, the 25th anniversary of the event, family members, former investigators, rescue and recovery teams, former TWA members and all those who simply wanted to pay their respects gathered to honor and remember the victims and their lives.
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| Carnations to the ocean... |
I was there as well. Although I had not lost anyone near to me on that flight I still feel a strong connection to it, (having had family members taken that flight in previous years). This years memorial was extremely special, if not, dare I say, "Supernatural", which I shall attempt to explain. I arrived at around 7:00 PM in the evening as a small early crowd milled around which continued to slowly grow as we waited for the ceremony to begin.
Our local news channel was set up to record the event, a documentary film crew which was oddly following a couple of gentleman where ever they went (family members of the victims I presume) and many photographers and press members were also in attendance.
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| The gentlemen the film crew followed |
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| TWA Gear |
In the crowd I saw people wearing TWA gear, former employees I would assume. I also noted some "interesting" people who look like they could have walked right out of the x-files (I could only imagine
what people must have thought of me) The sun was setting with a muted glow in the sky and the evening air was thick, warm, humid with a salty ocean mist that to me was soothing as I breathed it in. Although the memorial is outdoors it felt like it was contained by invisible walls. As each guest speaker took to the podium, which was about 20-30 feet from where I was seated, you could easily smell what ever perfume or cologne they were wearing. All these unusual conditions made me feel as if time was standing still, like I was in a picture or movie. Various people spoke, John Seamen (I believe is his name) was the host along with someone from the organization that takes care of the memorial. Other speakers included a local politician (Rob Calarco), a former member of the NTSB from the original investigation,
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| Former NTSB investigator |
former fire and rescue chief and finally family members who read the names of all the victims.
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One of the last persons to speak was a young angelic like looking woman- she reminded me of the actress Crystal Barnard from the hit show, Wings. She was dressed in white and I could smell her perfume which the evening air held in place. If one is to believe in the supernatural then this ceremony certainly would qualify. Did I personally experience any para normal experiences? No. However in totality I can't discount the palpable spiritually that filled the memorial either by the living or dead.
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| waiting for the event to start |
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| My family and friends sitting on the bench |
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| Carnations into the ocean |
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| Family members read the names of those on the flight |
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| Film crew |
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| Ocean view from the memorial |
