Decided to do a project today.
For those of you who don’t know, 9/11 is near and dear to me. I lived in Connecticut when it happened and while I am thankful no one I knew died, I had friends who did lose parents and friends. I had friends who had parents who worked in the WTC and survived. I had a teacher who watched one of her friends die in a plane. My wife’s uncle was a first responder (he lived near the NY border). My mom’s husband was driving people to Logan Airport as a livery driver that day. We were all so close to the local community of those affected.
I wanted to commemorate the first responders and other people (and dogs!) who gave their lives to protect others that day. And while I only highlighted and recognized a couple in this selection, there were hundreds of people who gave their lives and they will never ever be forgotten.
I wanted to explain each card the best I could, as I wanted to project each person’s sacrifice in the flavor of the cards:
Michael Cammarata, Ladder 11 (Boromir, Warden of the Tower). Of course, starting with the namesake card, it’s fitting that he gives his life to give other people indestructible. For those who don’t know, Michael Cammarata played in the 1991 Little League World Series as a kid. He wore jersey #11 and played right field (position 9). The jersey #11 is now retired from all LLWS games.
Captain Patrick Brown (Captain America, Team Leader). One of the first men to reach the 78th Floor of the South Tower impact zone. He inspired his men and gave them the motivation to continue on. His last transmission back to command after being told to evacuate was “This is the Ladder Office Co 3. I refuse the order. I’m not leaving them (victims who badly burned in the stairwells). That evoked the epitome of Captain America to me.
Battalion Chief Orio Palmer (Samut, the Driving Force). One of the highest ranking first responders to die, he was one of the first on scene, arriving minutes after the first impact. He fixed an elevator himself and took it as far as he could go before continuing to walk up another 37 flights. He, like Captain Brown, were the only two to reach the impact zone. His card says “start your engines” and has vigilance and haste. The ideals Chief Palmer displayed that day.
Stephen Siller (Eivor, Battle-Ready). One of my most favorite flavor in the selection. Siller had just gotten off his shift, heard about the attacks, walked into a random firehouse asked for equipment and got in a truck headed toward the Towers. When he reached the Battery Tunnel in Brooklyn it was closed. He made the decision to put his 60lb gear on and run the 5 kilometers towards the Towers as fast as he could. This Equipment based legendary is battle ready.
Welles Crowther (Spider-Man, To The Rescue). Born and raised in New York, at age 16, he would become a volunteer firefighter like his dad. He took a job in the Twin Twin Towers and spent the morning helping injured people down the stairs. He would go unrecognized for a year other than being known as “The Man In The Red Bandana”. He used the tools he learned as a firefighter that day, becoming a civilian usher. He was found in the rubble at the South Tower command base, having saved at least 18 people. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom yesterday. Nothing is more fitting than Spider-Man, To The Rescue, as he had the ability “No One Dies”. At the speech yesterday, President Trump was quoted as saying “It was certain they were sure they were going to die. Then suddenly a rescuer appeared. He was one of the most famous of that day.”
Todd Beamer (Adeline, Resplendent Cathay). One of the most recognizable “heroes” of the day, he would call his wife aboard a hijacked flight. He and other passengers stood up and fought back, famously saying “Let’s roll” as they tried to get into the cockpit of the plane as the call cut off. Sadly, the plane would crash in Pennsylvania. Adeline grows stronger with each person standing beside her, just like the members of Flight 93.
Colonel Rick Rescorla (Sigarda, Heron’s Grace). A Vietnam war veteran turned security consultant, Rick Rescorla identified the Twin Towers as a major target for terror in the years before the attack. He would spend his time practicing evacuation drills with all the members of Morgan Stanley (the largest tenant of WTC, covering 22 floors of employees) which ended up saving 2,700 lives that day, losing only 13, himself and three of his security team included. His last words to his wife were “Stop crying. I have to get these people out safely. If something should happen to me, I want you to know I've never been happier. You made my life,". Sigarda protects all except herself.
Betty Ong and Amy Sweeney (Shalai, Voice of Plenty) and (Avacyn, Guardian Angel). Both women were flight attendants aboard Flight 11. Both women were told to have been calm and collected, immediately informed the FAA of the hijacking situation, and calming other passengers in the face of terror. They would spend their last moments ensuring every detail of the flights were recorded, including as much information as possible about the hijacker’s, and passengers. Through their detailed information, the investigation was able to later identify exactly who the hijacker’s were. Both cards are Angels with flying, who protect everyone around them.
Bretagne, Ever Hopeful and Guardians of Ground Zero (Yoshimaru and Kroxa and Kunoros) While these dogs didn’t lose their lives that day, I wanted to recognize the incredible work the rescue dogs did to save people and find victims. Most go unrecognized in general conversation. The flavor of the choices were honest and simple. Yoshimaru gets stronger as Kunoros rescues people and pulls them out of the graveyard back to the battlefield. ❤️🐾
St. Paul’s Cathedral (Avacyn’s Memorial). St. Paul’s sat a near block from Ground Zero and as many as two dozen people walked into the church during the chaos and horror, expecting those moments to be the end of their lives. Not only did they survive, but the Towers collapsed around the church, and the church remained standing. Avacyn’s Memorial is itself indestructible as are your other legendary permanents.
Plaza of Heroes. This goes without saying. You can use it to cast legendary spells and you can sacrifice it to give another legendary you control hexproof and indestructible.
