Good NewsGood Newsseptember 11 anniversary

Lost Bracelet Honoring 9/11 Firefighter Found On Beach After 10 Years, Returned To Widow

Lost Bracelet Honoring 9/11 Firefighter Found On Beach After 10 Years, Returned To Widow
Open Image Modal
By 

Associate Third Metric Editor, The Huffington Post

|

Everything happens for a reason.

That was the thought that ran through 9/11 widow Marion Otten's mind when the memorial bracelet of her late firefighter husband, Michael Otten, appeared in her mailbox. She'd originally given the bracelet to her son Jonathan, who lost it on an East Islip beach on Long Island, New York, a decade ago.

"It was just a bracelet to me back then," he told NBC4 New York. "It didn't have such a big meaning as it does now."

Lucky for the family, Marlene Quinn recently came across the bracelet as she was walking along Robert Moses Beach, thinking of her own firefighter brother who'd recently died, CNN reported. She immediately reacted to the name -- her brother's name was Michael as well -- but then also recognized the last name. Quinn and the Otten family were both from the same town on Long Island and had, in fact, been neighbors in the past, according to NBC 4 New York.

Quinn decided to look up the family's address and mail them the bracelet along with a handwritten note. The serendipitous find brought the two families of fallen firefighters together last Friday. While the Ottens will always grieve the loss of their husband and father, they will also now celebrate the return of this precious item commemorating his bravery and service.

"There are no coincidences," Marion Otten told NBC. "There's a reason why it happened. It brings us together for whatever reason."

This isn't the first time a family grieving the Sept. 11 attacks was reunited with a token from their lost loved one after a decade of waiting.

In 2012 a note written by broker Randy Scott, who worked on the 84th floor of the World Trade Center, was found and returned to his family. The note, which reads, "84th floor, West Office, 12 people trapped," may be simple but proved to his wife and three daughters that he did not die instantly as they had believed for so long. The note is now on display at the Sept. 11 Memorial.

Like Us On Facebook
Follow Us On Twitter

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost

Before You Go

Stories of 9/11 Survivors
Sujo John(01 of07)
Open Image Modal
Sujo John was working on the 81st floor of World Trade Center 1 when the building was hit. Although he was able to quickly descend the stairs to safety, his mind remained on his pregnant wife's who worked in the second tower."I thought I would die," John told CBN News. "The building was swaying and we could feel the building tilting to the left, fighting our way through the fire making our way to the stairwell."Miraculously, John's wife arrived at work just moments after it was hit by the second plane, and was never allowed to enter the building. "I saw it. I was standing right under the buildings. I felt the heat and the debris falling all around me," she commented.The collapse of the second tower, however, buried John under a pile of debris while his wife could only watch. Somehow he found the strength to burst through the rubble. He was the only one of his cohort to survive the blast.Both John and his wife credit God with their amazing survival. Since those frightening hours in 2001, the couple has been traveling the world sharing their incredible stories of survival. The effort has turned into a full-time ministry, with more than 30,000 disciples for Christ. (credit:Screenshot )
Lauren Manning (02 of07)
Open Image Modal
Eighty-two percent of Lauren Manning's body was severely burned on 9/11. Headed to her job as a managing director at Cantor Fitzgerald on the 106th floor of the North tower, she got only as far as the lobby when the elevator exploded, setting her on fire. "I prayed for death, in that unspeakable way that people who are experiencing unimaginable pain can." But then she thought of her 10-month-old son, Tyler: "I can't leave my son. I haven't had him long enough ... I can't die like this, stumbling into the streets in flames, surrendering my life in a gutter"Manning told USA Today. Manning was able to reach a narrow strip of grass outside the tower, where a heroic man ripped off his jacket to smother the flames that engulfed her. Although the EMTs initially labeled her as unlikely to survive, after three months in the hospital and three months in rehabilitation, Manning was able to return to her normal life. She underwent more than 25 operations and skin grafts, the tips of four fingers had to be amputated, and she had to relearn how to stand and walk.Greg, her husband, also worked at the World Trade Center, but at the last minute decided to help a friend rather than go to work that day. "It is a true miracle that my son isn't an orphan." Manning said. Manning is a true fighter. In 2004 she was chosen to participate in the International Olympic Torch Relay; she ran three blocks in Manhattan. (credit:Getty images)
Jay Jonas(03 of07)
Open Image Modal
Jay Jonas was a captain in the New York Fire Department on September 11. He was among 14 people -- 12 of them firefighters --who were trapped on a stairwell between the second and fourth floors after the North Tower collapsed.After waiting for three hours in the dark, Jonas and his fellow survivors precariously crossed a three story deep trench of metal to reach safety. Instead of retiring after the traumatic event, however, Jonas swore to help the NY fire department rebuild in the wake of the tragedy. "I didn't want anybody to chase me out," Jonas told ABC. "I'm living my lifelong dream. I've wanted to be a fireman since I was a little kid." (credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr:" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5be38707e4b0108d01c08a26" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="10" data-vars-position-in-unit="20">Flickr:</a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mariettaga/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" City of Marietta, GA" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5be38707e4b0108d01c08a26" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/people/mariettaga/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="11" data-vars-position-in-unit="21"> City of Marietta, GA</a>)
Pasquale Buzzelli(04 of07)
Open Image Modal
Pasquale Buzzelli, 43, a structural engineer for the Manhattan Port Authority, was one of the last people to exit the North Tower on September 11, 2001. Just as he reached the 22nd floor, however, the building crumbled beneath him. Amazingly, Buzzelli was able to surf the debris down to the 7th floor, where he was rescued by firefighters. 'I was totally numb,' Buzzelli told the Daily Mail. 'I felt nothing at all. I just opened my eyes and saw blue sky. I really thought I was dead until I started to cough and I started to feel pain in my leg. At that point I started calling out: "Help. Help."Firefighters Mike Lyons and Mike Moribito, who disobeyed orders to search the wreckage, found Pasquale just when he was in danger of being burnt alive. Although Buzzelli suffered from survivor's guilt for years after the attacks, his family has helped him cope with the traumatic aftermath. 'With the birth of Mia [my daughter] I was finally able to experience those feelings and not feel guilt. In that sense I've realized that the best way to honour those that didn't make it, is to be the best person that I can be.' Buzzelli said. See more of Buzzelli's story in the Discovery Channel documentary, 9/11 The Miracle Survivor, which will be screened on the year anniversary of the tragedy. (credit:Flickr: cliff66)
Nicole B. Simpson(05 of07)
Open Image Modal
Nicole Simpson was a financial planner at Morgan Stanley on the 73rd floor of the second tower when 9/11 changed the course of her life. Simpson's split second decision not to enter the elevator right before the second tower was hit saved her from the tragic end of her assistants. "My first thought when I saw the doors and windows was to get out, but we weren't allowed to because it was unsafe, because of things falling from above and people jumping out of windows," Simpson told AOL. Simpson, who is married with two children, suffered from survivor's guilt, sleeping only 3-4 hours every night for 10 years. In 2005, however, Simpson decided to rebuild her declining career in the financial sector, but this time she was determined to help people like herself, who were dealing with the consequences of tragedy.In 2010, she began Harvest Wealth Financial, a firm that offers financial and disaster planning with a compassionate twist. Simpson has gone on to author two books, whose proceeds benefit a 9/11 survivors fund. She also volunteers her time as a financial planner to 9/11 survivors. "I began to dream again. In encouraging others, a spark was ignited to me. I had to start believing in myself again. In addition, I began to share my story with individuals while encouraging them to not allow catastrophic and/or traumatic events to define their destiny." she said. (credit:AOL)
Lee Lepli and 9/11 Tribute Center (06 of07)
Open Image Modal
Lee Lelpi, president of the 9/11 Tribute Center, was on the ground 11 years ago in search of his son, who was part of New York Fire Department's Squad 288. Miraculously, three months later, he found him. Lepli decided to turn his personal tragedy into a day of appreciation and giving, founding the 9/11 Tribute Center. Every year, over 500 volunteers from companies affected by 9/11 come together to build bicycles for the children of military families. Organized along with USO, the annual day of service honors those involved in the ongoing effort to protect the United States. "These men and women did a great thing and this is our way to give back," Dan Squire, 46, of the New York Fire Department Ladder 4, who was on the ground 11 years ago and lost 15 men, told the Epoch Times. (credit:9/11 Tribute Center )
Ron DiFrancesco(07 of07)
Open Image Modal
Ron DiFrancesco is the last known survivor to have exited the South Tower of the World Trade Center before it collapsed and is one of only four to have survived from above the 81st floor. "Time does heal a bit, but it doesn't make you forget what happened. And I think, for our generation, it's our marking point in history. It changed the world that day," DiFrancesco told the Survivor's Club. DiFrancesco rushed down nearly 80 flights of stairs while struggling for oxygen, only to be hit by a fireball from the building's collapse. When he woke in the hospital, he had a broken back, lacerations to his head, and burns all over his body, but he survived. In return for the months in which kind volunteers and family-friends took care of his wife and children while he recovered, DiFrancesco is giving back by riding bicycles for cancer victims and their families with Camp Trillium. "I love the peacefulness of the road, riding my bike, and riding in a pack ... [it's] a bit of healing for me," he said. "I find it cathartic." (credit:AP)
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip