The face of the many fatherless children of 9/11

Lauren McIntyre is the face of 9/11 for the children who never knew their fathers who died on that tragic day.

She was chosen as the cover photograph in ‘People’ Magazine this week and one look at her beautiful Irish face and the sadness that resides in her eyes tells you why.

Her dad was hero Donald McIntyre, 38, a Port Authority police officer, who never came home after that awful day.

Her mother, Jeannine was pregnant with Lauren when he died.

She told ‘People’ that Lauren always says her "Dad died a hero" but often asks also "why didn’t he come home.”

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Lauren tells her friends and anyone who asks about her dad that "He would have liked me."

No, he would have loved this beautiful red-haired little girl.

Lauren wears a pendant with her dad’s picture on it and has a picture of him in her bedroom. She wears the pendant so that she can be close to her dad.

Grace Danahy is another 9/11 child interviewed by ‘People.’ Grace is 9-years-old and keeps an ultrasound photo of herself in her room, as it was the only picture of her that her dad ever saw.

Patrick Danahay was a portfolio manager who worked in Tower 2 and also never came home.

Grace often asks "are my eyes like Daddy" and she sleeps with one of his bike jerseys every night – he was a keen cyclist.

She now has a new step-dad but the memory of her biological dad is still very dear for her.

”Every night I pray and sometimes I talk to him and tell him ‘Good night’ she says.

All over the world today in many cultures and lands kids will say good night to absent fathers and mothers killed in 9/11 and its gory aftermath.

May peace come for all of them too.