Two 9/11 widows raise funds to help bereaved Afghan women

Two 9/11 widows raise funds to help bereaved Afghan women
They hope medal will help the cause
By Denise Lavoie
Associate Press / August 4, 2010

As a widow of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Susan Retik was showered with love and support from family, friends, and even strangers who sent food, flowers, and cash.

But when she watched the news and saw war widows in Afghanistan, she knew they had no such support system.

Retik and another Massachusetts woman who also lost her husband on Sept. 11, 2001, decided to raise money for widows in Afghanistan, the same nation where their husbands’ killers had trained as terrorists.

On Wednesday, President Obama will recognize Retik and 12 others with the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second-highest honor that can be conferred on an American citizen.

Retik and the group’s cofounder, Patti Quigley, started by making a donation from the money they received after the Sept. 11 attacks from insurance, their husband’s firms, and strangers.

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Two 9 11 widows raise funds to help bereaved Afghan women