Tucson shooting victim honored with 9/11 memory - Ocala

ORO VALLEY, Ariz. - You think of Christina-Taylor Green when you see
the patch of dirt where she scooped grounders at second base in Canyon
del Oro Little League. You think of the youngest victim of the Tucson
shootings when you see the batter's box where she knocked line drives.
And you think of her when you see the 9-foot, 11-inch-tall silver
statue of an angel just beyond the outfield fence.

"It's going to serve as a daily reminder to us that we had the
privilege of knowing Christina," said John Ward, who coached her for
two years.

The statue was unveiled just before the Little League season opener
Friday evening, with Christina-Taylor's mother, father and brother
present to watch as a fire truck pulled off a cover to reveal the
glistening figure.

The angel's hand extends out, its robes appearing to blow in the wind.
It is intended to be a symbol of peace after the Jan. 8 shooting that
killed five others and wounded 13, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

The statue's height holds added significance because the numbers 9 and
11 are prominent in Christina-Taylor's life. She was born on Sept. 11,
2001 - the day of the terrorist attacks - and was featured in a book
about other children born that day.

Besides a 5 1/2-foot long fragment of an I-beam from ground zero, the
Freedom's Steadfast Angel of Love also incorporates a 3 1/2-foot-long
piece of steel from the Pentagon and a large rock from the Flight 93
crash site, sculptor Lei Hennessy-Owen said.

"It's beautiful," said shooting victim Susan Hileman, 59, who was
holding Christina-Taylor's hand when a gunman opened fire at a meet
and greet held by Giffords outside a supermarket. Hileman had taken
her to the event because the little girl said she was interested in
politics.
Hileman and other survivors also were planning to attend the ceremony
at James D. Kriegh Park, where Christina-Taylor donned a forest green
and bright yellow baseball uniform to play for the Pirates. On Friday,
her father, John Green, spoke of how being born on 9/11 shaped who his
daughter was, saying she was touched that on her birthday, the country
waves its flags highest and remembers those who were lost.

"I think that's how she started forming her ideas," he said.
"Unfortunately on Jan. 8 this year she lost her life. She's up there
with God right now."

He also said he was proud of how Tucson came together after the
shooting, much like the country came together after 9/11.

"We're very grateful that Christina meant as much to her community as
she did to us," John Green said. "It's very humbling to look out and
see what an impact our daughter has made in nine short years."

He and his family held each other in tears as they took in the statue
for the first time before his son Dallas threw out the first pitch.

Before the unveiling, the family sat in the front row on the field as
bagpipes played in the waning light of day. Christina-Taylor's mother,
Roxanna, wiped tears away.

"It was very moving and touching for us both. We had goose bumps,"
Roxanna Green said. "We're very proud and honored and pleased."

Ward, Christina-Taylor's coach, said he will always remember her as a
no-nonsense, competitive player who had the team's most RBIs and
became a leader for the other players - even though they were all
boys.

Today, there are eight girls in the league, up from three last year.
"I read that as Christina might have been a little inspiration," he
said.

"In many ways, she led by example, being able to show the boys how to
make a play, how to work hard, and she also led with her character,"
Ward said. "She was the first one to straighten out a rough issue. If
there was an argument, she was like, `C'mon guys, let's play ball.'"

It might not be all that surprising. Her father is a Los Angeles
Dodgers scout, and her grandfather, Dallas Green, the no-nonsense
manager who led the Philadelphia Phillies to their first World Series
title in 1980.Jack Ward, Ward's 8-year-old son who played with
Christina-Taylor for two years, will be at first base this year and
plans on remembering her in his own unique way.

"First base is pretty close to second base so every time I go out to
first position I'm going to touch second," he said. "I think what's
going to be on my mind is that she's an angel and she was really
good."

He said when Christina-Taylor first joined the team he wasn't all that
excited because she's a girl.

"I was like, girls are better at softball. By the second game I
thought maybe girls are better at both," he said.

John Ward said Christina-Taylor proved her grit on the field one day
when she was hit with a 40 mph fastball in the kidney area. She fell
to the ground in pain.

"By the time I got there, she was back up, we dusted her off and there
was a grimace on her face," Ward said. "I asked her, `What do you want
to do - hit it or take your base?' And she said, `I want to hit!' She
knew what she wanted to do before I ever got there."

If Christina-Taylor had taken the base, a runner on third would have
walked in and scored. Instead, she took her turn at the plate,
punching a hard line drive right up the middle and bringing in two
runs.

"What sticks out most is just the smile on her face when she got to
first base knowing she had done her job," Ward said.

In practices now, Ward said he has noticed a renewed focus from the
boys, as they try to honor her memory.

They don't have to look far for a reminder of her.

When they see the patch on their uniforms and those of the league's
other ballplayers, they will see her initials, CTG, on a baseball, the
American flag and the twin towers of the World Trade Center in the
background.

"The world looks a lot brighter today from my perspective than it did
on the 9th of January," league president Clyde Turpin said

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