I was actually wondering, not too many weeks ago, how there could not be sites like this one: a personal web site, weblog included, of a man killed in the Sept. 11 attacks. 22-year-old risk consultant Paul Battaglia had an office on the 100th floor of one of the World Trade Center towers.

His site had photos from his graduation, a travel journal from his trip to Europe, and a blog he only posted to twice. His site is frozen in time at its last update on August 20. Or at least, most of it.

The real power of Paul’s web haunt is the guestbook, where people were posting out of love and worry on the days following the attacks… and where people are still today leaving messages to him and his family. In fact, his parents are reading and post messages too. “Words can’t describe how much we miss you,” they write. “Every day is spent wanting you to come home, wishing we could see you one more time.” Signed, “Mom & Dad.”

Discover more from Hawaii Blog

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading