Craven County residents or visitors who may have faced the 9/11 tragic event personally, will now have a place to honor fallen heroes and citizens. 

The creation of a 9/11 memorial became a reality in downtown New Bern on Thursday morning.

The blank concrete slab that was reserved for the historical site next to the New Bern Firemen's Museum now has vivid symbolizations of significant 9/11 events. 

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At the base of the memorial are four sides with red bold statements that read: "Sept. 11, 2011, Pentagon, Never Forget and Shanksville, PA."

The complete installation of the memorial was delayed, but the four phrases and two additional concrete slabs were placed on top of the base as progress. 

David Finn, president of the New Bern Firemen's Museum, was excited to finally have their own design of an unforgettable period in history. 

"It's long overdue for starters," Finn said. "We're finding that the younger generation coming along doesn't really know the story. We need to keep telling the story... We can never forget that terrible day."

Though the memorial is for all residents and visitors to view, Finn said he believes the site will help the younger community learn more about the tragic day. 

Once the site is complete, the 9/11 memorial will include the north and south towers of the World Trade Center that will be placed 8 feet tall. A fireman's full uniform containing the boots, jacket and gloves will stand 3 feet tall. 

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The fireman's helmet will be marked with 343, representing the number of firefighters who lost their lives. Pentagon-shaped sidewalks will surround the memorial and at night, you can't miss the touching monument, with spotlights to illuminate the tribute. 

Finn said the idea of adding the memorial arose about a little over a year ago and took $50,000 to make happen. 

"Thirty people dug deep into their pockets and paid for it," he said. "It's going to sit here at the corner of Hancock and Broad Street, which is the entrance to historic downtown. Hopefully, it'll be here for many many years."

He said the downtown monument was the third 9/11 memorial to join Craven County. There's one located in Fairfield Harbour and another in Havelock. Finn added without the funding help from generous community members, the new addition would not have been able to come true. 

The unveiling of the new memorial will be on April 3 in the afternoon, so the illuminating lights can display. Finn said everyone is welcome to attend the dedication right next to the firemen's museum. 

Finn says the memorial will hopefully bring more visitors to the museum and learn all about history by adding the site. 

He added he believes the firemen's museum is a gem in New Bern and he is anticipating the future crowd of spectators.

"It's a great day for all of us here at the museum," Finn said. "We were looking forward to this, we're excited about it and we're excited for the community to have it here on the corner... We're excited to have the dedication and hopefully we'll get a good crowd here to officially welcome the monument to New Bern."

Reporter Symone Graham can be reached by email at sgraham@gannett.com. Have a story tip or idea? Send it her way.