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Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Source of Ala. 9/11 flower arrangement revealed

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) 
A 10-year-old secret has been revealed.
Just hours after terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, a large red, white and blue flower arrangement appeared at the base of a New York state flag on the grounds of the Alabama Capitol in Montgomery. Tied to the flag pole was a red, white and blue ribbon.
The flower arrangement was placed in front of the flag pole by then-Alabama Secretary of State Jim Bennett and then-deputy Secretary of State David Azbell.
Azbell, now a political consultant in Montgomery, first revealed the secret on Sunday when he posted on his Facebook page that he and Bennett bought the flowers and quietly placed them in front of the New York state flag.
"He told me to keep it a secret because he did not want to appear as a politician exploiting a tragedy. It has been 10 years, so I think I'm safe letting the secret be known," Azbell said in the Facebook post.
The New York flag flies along with flags from all 50 states in a section of the Capitol grounds known as the "Avenue of Flags."
The display of flowers was placed on the stone base of the flag pole and was featured on news stories at the time, but the source of the flowers remained a mystery.
Bennett said Monday he and Azbell purchased the flowers at a local florist and then placed them on the "Avenue of Flags" without calling attention to themselves.
Bennett said he and Azbell wanted to do something to express their concern.
"To me it was like Pearl Harbor. It called for a personal response. You wanted to participate and set the world right again," Bennett said.
He said he made the decision to keep the source of the flowers secret.
"It wasn't about us. It would have served no purpose to tell everybody. The issue was what had happened so tragically in New York," Bennett said.
Bennett said he felt a personal connection when he saw the towers fall because he once visited the World Trade Center during a trip to New York and went to the observation deck on top of one of the towers.
Azbell said he decided to reveal the secret on the 10th anniversary of the attacks when he remembered he still had a picture of the flowers.
He said he remembers being in his office shortly after the attacks and Bennett coming by his desk.
"He said lets go for a ride," Azbell said. He said they drove to the flower shop.
Bennett said he later sent a picture of the flowers and the New York flag to then New York Gov. George Pataki, who sent a letter back to Bennett and said he appreciated the gesture.
"The outpouring of support from one end of the globe to the other has been simply overwhelming, and the people of New York have been deeply touched by this generosity and kindness. We will never forget it," Pataki said in the letter.

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