(LEWES, Del.) - September 11th is a day of mourning, rememberance and solidarity across the nation. It hits even closer to home for the Whitford family in Lewes.
Roger Whitford lost his son, Mark, in the terrorist attacks. "We just want to try to keep the memory going, and we want to never forget," he tells WRDE.
Mark Whitford was a 9/11 first responder who died in the South Tower. Now, the family's home on Minos Conaway Road has been recognized as an official September 11th memorial in the state of Delaware.
Dr. Nancy Seddio, a psychotherapist who moved from Staten Island to Delaware, personally helped the Whitford family after the terrorist attacks. "Mark was more than a firefighter. He was a father, a son, a brother, and a soldier," she says.
Whitford's brother, Chris, says he saw a monarch butterfly at Ground Zero the day after 9/11. He immediately knew it was Mark's presence. "I didn't believe Mark made it, and mom and dad said we need to still hold out hope. I told them the story about the butterfly, and I said, I think that was a signal from Mark, and I don't think he made it and we need to be realistic and realize that."
Today, the Whitfords are pushing lawmakers to pass a bill that would release more information about the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Roger Whitford says it would finally provide families with some closure. "All the information from the 28 pages could come out, and everybody will know exactly what happened that day."