Giovanna Galletta Gambale, known to her family and friends as Gennie, was a young woman working on the 105th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001. She was known as a warm, kind, and hardworking person who was deeply loved by her family.
After the attacks, during the long and difficult cleanup at Ground Zero, a police officer was searching through the debris. Among the rubble, he discovered a damaged wallet. As was standard procedure, he opened it to look for identification, hoping it might help return the item to its owner or their family.
When the officer read the name inside the wallet, he was stunned. The name belonged to someone his daughter knew personally. Realizing this was not just an object but a connection to a real person and a grieving family, the officer made sure the wallet was treated with care.
The wallet was eventually returned to Gennie’s family, becoming one of the few personal items recovered from the site. For her loved ones, it was a powerful and emotional reminder of Gennie and the life she lived.
Later, the family chose to donate the wallet to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum Collection, so that Gennie’s story would be remembered along with the thousands of others lost that day. Today, the wallet stands not just as an artifact, but as a symbol of identity, connection, and remembrance, honoring Gennie’s life and ensuring her name is never forgotten.
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