World War II P.O.W.'s ribbon of remembrance honors 9/11 victims

NILES, Mich. -- We are approaching the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, marking the attacks that in all killed 3,497 people.



Each name represented sons, daughters, mother, fathers, and heroes.



A World War II P.O.W. from right here in Michiana understood the meaning behind those names, and really took the attack personally.



Take a look at what he did to honor the victims. He put the names of each victim of the 9/11 attacks, posted one by one all around the inside of the Niles Public Library.



In 2002, Bob Jackson took the time to make the memorial.



"You first have to understand he was a prisoner of war for 101 days in Germany, so any attack on our land he took personally," said Darlene Jackson, Bob's wife.



ABC57 reached Darlene by phone Monday night. She lives now in Tennessee near family. She reflected on the creation of the memorial.



"He cut out every single name, the square off the paper I printed. He prayed for every family as he cut out their name, he prayed for every single family," she explained.



It was Bob who wanted to come back to the Niles Public Library or the 10-year anniversary and make his memorial come back to life. Unfortunately, Bob died in April after suffering a massive heart attack.



Those at the library made sure that his wish of recreating the memorial would come back to life and make his tribute live on.



"I think it's great. I know he was so humble, he wouldn't want it about him," Darlene said.

But it is about Bob -- a hero who served our country, who survived starvation as a prisoner of war for 120 days in Germany. It was he who had the idea for this creation as a way to remember those who died on 9/11.



His wife says she misses so much about Bob. "His smile, I guess. He was an incredible man, absolutely wonderful," she recalled tearfully.



The memorial is on display right now at the Niles Public Library if you want to check it out. The ribbon of names extends over 300 feet long.