Unidentified Remains Of Sept. 11 Victims Returned To Ground Zero

hide captionFamily members of
victims of the Sept. 11 attacks demonstrate against the decision to
transfer the unidentified remains to a repository at the World Trade
Center site.

Eric Thayer /Reuters /Landov

As a heavy fog lifted through the skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan, a procession began.

Vehicles
from the FDNY, the Port Authority and NYPD carried three flag-draped
coffins filled with the unidentified remains of some Sept. 11 victims.

The
procession began at a medical examiner's office and passed by Ladder
Co. 10, where firefighters paid their respects in formation. The
vehicles stopped at ground zero, the coffins were unloaded and placed in
a special repository 70 feet under ground in same building as the
museum scheduled to open May 21.

The repository and the museum
are separated by a wall and the remains will not be for public viewing,
but some family members protested the decision to place them there. They
wore black gags as they watched the procession roll by.

The New York Times reports:

"Alexander
Santora, 77, a retired deputy chief in the Fire Department, was among
those who wore a gag. 'We had no say in what was going on here,' said
Mr. Santora, whose son Christopher, 23, a probationary firefighter, was
killed in the attacks. 'You can't tell me that tour guides aren't going
to be going inside that building and saying, "Behind that wall are the
victims of 9/11." That's a dog and pony show.'

"But other families supported the decision, and were critical of the protesters.

"'I
thought it was just ridiculous; everyone is too political over this,'
said Lisa Vukaj, 34, as she left the plaza wearing a badge bearing a
photo of her brother Simon Marash Dedvukaj, who was killed. She said she
thought the ceremonial transfer was 'appropriate and fitting', and
said, 'I just wanted to come and pay my respects, to be in the moment.'"