There are the streets named after 9/11 victims and the fading memorials painted on walls; there are the stories about young children who lost parents in the attacks; there's also the matter of US foreign policy, which is still centered around getting the bad guys responsible in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, some of the political tensions of earlier generations faded, allowing new memorials to be built.
Interest in World War I and its memorials faded after World War II, and did not increase again until the 1980s and 1990s, which saw the renovation of many existing memorials and the opening of new sites.
After the blood faded and the temporary memorial material was collected at the hospital, the Arizona Memory Project archived and cataloged what notes and cards and signs they could.
Then the images of Seth ceased and, as Judy turned the pages, we saw a pressed flower; a poem, in Greek, by Sam's mother; and the faded program from Seth's memorial service.
But whatever giddiness may remain from a special night must be quickly cast aside, a theme that Coach Phil Martelli and his players kept pushing when the excitement at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse finally faded.
Then Premier Dalton McGuinty expressed his condolences, the men's friends erected makeshift memorials and the community asked questions, but the story faded within weeks without a coroner's inquest.
The small memorial would be gone tomorrow, replaced by a faded couch where soldiers gathered for coffee and a smoke.
Building finally stalled when German political will faded after the opening of a Jewish museum and Holocaust memorial in the city made the project seem less pressing.
