The 9/11 Bell
CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) — It is a bell that has traveled halfway around the world and back. It stood as a special symbol to U.S. soldiers who served at Camp Alamo in Afghanistan.
Part of the bell is actually made from remnants of the World Trade Center, but along the way, it received some damage and was in desperate need of repair.
So some instructors at Del Mar College came to the rescue.
The commemorative 9/11 bell was taken to Camp Alamo in Kabul, Afghanistan, and was established as part of the 9/11 Square in the camp that honored the men and women who perished on that tragic day. Inscribed inside are the soldiers’ names who contributed the bell to Camp Alamo.
“The metal post that the bell is mounted on is from the World Trade Center,” Major Philip Kost said. “Adds more significance to the bell itself.”
When the troops closed down the base and handed it over to Afghan soldiers, they removed the bell and shipped it to Fort Hood. During that trip, the bell was damaged.
“The mounting arm, which connects the bell to the post, was broken,” Kost said.
Major Kost is from here in Corpus Christi, and he was in charge of making sure the bell was repaired and made it to its final destination.
“My father is retired from Del Mar,” Kost said. “And as I was coming through, he said ‘Bring it with you and let me contact the guys at the welding shop, and they can do something with it.'”
Sure enough, they brought the bell to Del Mar College, where instructors were able to repair it. It is now ready to make its way to its final home.
“Just to be able to contribute to something so significant, it’s just a great honor,” said Domingo Sunny Vela of Del Mar College’s welding program. “It’s a humbling experience, to know it’s a symbol of so many people that died.”
The bell will now be displayed at the Alamo in San Antonio.
