LOWER MANHATTAN — It's been 23 years since Michael Macko's father was killed when terrorists detonated a massive bomb inside the World Trade Center, but not a day goes by when he doesn’t think of his dad.
“Time helps with the pain,” said Macko, 52, on Friday, the 23rd anniversary of the attack. “But you never stop missing him.”
Macko’s father, William Macko, an engineer for the Port Authority, was killed along with five other people on Feb. 26, 1993, after a truck bomb exploded in the basement of the WTC.
Macko gathered Friday with more than 100 others, including survivors, victim’s family members and Port Authority and 9/11 Memorial officials to commemorate the bombing, which also left more than 1,000 people injured.
A moment of silence was observed at 12:18 p.m., the moment of the deadly blast.
During the ceremony, held by the 9/11 Memorial pools, the names of those killed were read: William Macko, John DiGiovanni, Robert Kirkpatrick, Wilfredo Mercado and Monica Rodriguez Smith, who also lost her unborn child.
Family members then placed roses by the six victims' names, which are inscribed in bronze alongside the names of the victims of the 9/11 attacks, on the north side of the memorial's northern reflecting pool.
Macko said it gives him comfort to have the memorial, and now the 9/11 Museum, to memorialize his father and the other victims.
The 1993 bombings were a precursor to the 9/11 attacks, officials at the ceremony said.
“I think we know now that 9/11 started with that 1993 bombing,” Macko said. “It’s terribly sad, but it's a history we can't forget."
