dojN002137.xml

dojN002137.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2002-01-20

Sunday, January 20, 2002 6:54 PM
Victims Compensation Fund

January 19, 2002

President George W. Bush
The Whitehouse
Washington, D.C.

Special Master Kenneth Feinberg

RE: 9/11 VICTIM - &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp - Comments to VCF

Dear President Bush And Special Master Feinberg:

My sister, &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp , perished in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp worked for &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp on the &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp floor of Tower Two. By many eyewitness accounts of surviving coworkers, she stepped out of her role as an administrative assistant to help evacuate them by, keeping calm and order, directing them to stairwells and holding the stairwell door open for them to pass through. Would she have survived if she hadn't stopped to help others? We'll never know. Was she a hero? I'd like to believe that she was.

But we do know that my sister, along with thousands of others, were innocent victims who lost their lives in the most diabolical and violent attack on the American mainland in this country's history. There is no doubt that she and her coworkers experienced unthinkable horror before their deaths - our family fears, but dare not speak of, the pain &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp may have suffered.

To date her body has not been recovered. I have been informed by &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp who promised to determine for the families what happened to their loved ones that they will not "engage in any exercise" to recreate the events in Tower Two. Will I ever know? I am in agony over this. I witnessed it on television live.

So my father lost his eldest child and his three surviving children lost a sister - and we are all trying to be brave for each other. Although our family has come together as a result of losing &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp , the fabric of our family, what we hold dearest to our being, has been torn apart forever. Only those who lost a loved one that day truly understand, the rest of you are left to comfort us and to fear that this may happen again.

Our pain is not limited to losing &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp . We are bonded forever with the families of the other victims of this senseless tragedy through pain. Our hearts go out to all of them.

And as Americans, we are all outraged. Indeed, the American people have responded to this outrage with both a renewed sense of nationalism, and empathy for the victims and the survivors as expressed in the form of generous donations to charities and funds. We are extremely grateful to and humbled by all who have done so.

But my father has received very little monies from charities or from these funds.

You advised us not to worry. There would be a federal Victim's Compensation Fund to assist my father in not "begging" from charity and not having face the emotional pain of going through the legal system. Yet it now appears that my father may receive ZERO compensation from this Fund due to its overall design, especially, the insurance offset rules.

I do not believe that the Government of our great nation, including both of you, intended that my father or any other families of the innocent victims of this terrible tragedy, receive ZERO compensation. I had always believed that this Fund was established to protect the Airline industry including limiting tort liability yet provide meaningful compensation to victims as part of a national response to the terrorist attacks that is reflective of litigated/settled tort claim outcomes.

Unfortunately media coverage of this issue has painted the families in a negative light. I am concerned that the families have lost confidence in this Fund because of the Whitehouse's silence to the families' outcries for help and to the Special Master's limited response to the families' comments to date.

With all due respects to both of you, please consider revising the proposed Fund to eliminate the insurance offsets, not include charitable offsets, eliminate vague discretion that is hurtful to families outcomes e.g. review on a case by case basis, increase the non-economic compensation and replace the formulaic tables to be reflective of more current data. In other words, reshape the Victims Compensation Fund to make it attractive to the families to want to take it and know that they are being treated fairly. Hopefully, this can be done in a manner in which both sides can save face, find a win/win solution and show the rest of the world that America cares for its people. This internal conflict sends a poor message to the rest of the world that at its heart Americans are "greedy" and only enhances sympathies for the terrorists claims and actions. It has been awful for all of us.

In conclusion, this is the worst letter I have ever had to write. I am heartbroken beyond any definition of that word I knew or believe to have understood before. This letter is about the memory of my sister, &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp . She was the kindest, gentlest woman a person could know. She was my only sister. The courage she exhibited on the &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp floor as they witnessed the horrors of Tower One being hit, felt the heat penetrating their building from the first explosion, to not run but to stop and help others in chaos and confusion is not surprising. &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp always put others before herself. How many lives did she save? I try to find comfort in that. Please consider &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp , please consider my father who loved her and depended upon her. Please consider what history will say about how America reacted within. Please help us.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Individual Comment

2002-01-20