Families who lost loved ones in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, have welcomed the attack on Osama bin Laden's compound and the death of the al-Qaeda leader.
"For me personally, this is something that is long overdue," said Thomas J. Meehan III, whose 26-year-old daughter Colleen Ann Meehan Barkow worked at Cantor Fitzgerald on the 103rd Floor of One World Trade Center. "Obviously, justice has been served.
"This death marks a milestone, and reflects our determination to achieve the promise to bring to justice those responsible for the death of 2,976 Americans and international citizens murdered on Sept. 11, 2001," he said. "In all honesty, I'm glad that Obama fulfilled that promise," Meehan said.
"We should also remember in our hearts the 4,204 lives of our military personnel who have made the ultimate sacrifice as well," he added.
"It's not clear how all this will play out on the world stage, but hopefully it will expedite troop removals from Afghanistan," Meehan said.
Rosaleen Tallon, who lost her firefighter brother Sean Tallon on 9/11, said that her feelings were confused when she heard the news on Sunday night.
"It took me a while to figure that out," she told the Echo on Monday. "Then I realized that it's because back when we lost Sean I thought maybe if we just could get him [bin Laden] and get some of his cohorts. But it's not just him.
"I know that it's not over. This doesn't end with him. For every bin Laden there are 10 more willing to plan and plot terrorism," Tallon said. "We will never return to Sept. 10. We were so carefree going to the airport."
She remembered being upset when after 9/11 her Irish-born father, who'd lost his son to the terrorists, was patted down at JFK before flying on a vacation.
"This is a success, but we have an obligation as 9/11 families to make sure that people don't get too excited," Tallon said.
Sally Regenhard, whose proby firefighter son Christian Regenhard died in the attack on New York, also described it as a “milestone.”
"I'm glad that the families have finally received justice," she said.
She appreciated that Americans are still emotional about the huge loss of life on 9/11. "People still care," said Regenhard, whose parents were Irish immigrants. "That's gratifying."
Meehan, who served for six years in the armed forces, said that he wanted to give a "'thank you' to our military, our government personnel and our president, the commander-in-chief, for keeping the promise never to forget."
