9/11 Widow Expresses Pride in "This Incredible Achievement"

President Obama’s announcement Sunday night that Osama Bin Laden had been killed by U.S. operatives has special meaning for New Canaan resident . McEneany’s husband, Eamon, was one of three New Canaan residents killed on Sept. 11, 2001, when al-Queda operatives attacked the World Trade Center in New York. 

“Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan,” Obama said in a televised statement from the White House. “A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight they killed Osama Bin and took custody of his body.”

In an e-mail to Patch, McEneany expressed her pride in the perseverance that led to Bin Laden's death.

“I applaud the men and women who have worked for almost a decade to ensure justice has prevailed,” McEneany said. “Bin Laden's death doesn't bring back the 3,000 innocent people who were killed on 9/11, nor does it end the war in the Middle East, but it is a critical step towards the ultimate defeat of the foremost anti-U.S. terrorist infrastructure.”

In 2010, McEneany wrote a book called Messages: Signs, Visits, and Premonitions from Loved Ones Lost on 9/11 about her journey since her husband’s death. Eamon McEneaney was 46 when he was killed.

 New Canaan residents Joe Coppo, 47, and Brad Fetchet, 24, were also killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center. Fetchet’s parents, Frank and Mary, created , which is a clearinghouse for information and commemorative events for 9/11 families. Mary Fetchet is a national spokesperson for those affected by the terrorist attacks.

“As a 9/11 family member, I am so very proud of those responsible for this incredible achievement,” McEneany said.

 In his remarks to the nation, Obama spoke of the indelible images of 9/11:

"It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory: hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky, the twin towers collapsing to the ground, black smoke billowing up from the pentagon, the wreckage of flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.  And yet we know that the worst images are those that are unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who are forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child’s embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens were taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.”

On April 21, New Canaan received a 1,412 pound eye beam taken from the rubble of the . The twisted steel beam was delivered to the New Canaan fire station, where it will remain until a permanent display place can be found for it.