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Medallions made in Georgia with WTC steel anger some relatives

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Posted 7:18PM on Wednesday 30th January 2002 ( 23 years ago )
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - Some victims&#39; relatives are angry that a Georgia company is selling a commemorative medallion made with steel from the World Trade Center. <br> <br> ``This is ghoulish,&#39;&#39; Sally Regenhard, whose firefighter son, Christian Regenhard, died Sept. 11, told the Daily News. ``This is so inappropriate. I&#39;m disgusted.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The medallions are forged from an alloy, 25 percent of which is recycled trade center steel. They are offered on the Internet and at collectible stores for $29.95. <br> <br> International Agile Manufacturing, a foundry in Statesboro, Ga., purchased the steel from a New Jersey salvage yard. <br> <br> ``We are not trying to offend anyone,&#39;&#39; said Alfonzo Hall, the company&#39;s president and chief executive officer, told the newspaper. <br> <br> Hall said International Agile lost 40 percent of its business after Sept. 11 and hopes to avoid layoffs by selling the medallions. So far, 10,000 of the medallions which feature a flag waving behind the twin towers have been sold, Hall said. <br> <br> ``Would it be better to see the steel overseas and see it in a soup can or the fender of a car?&#39;&#39; he asked. <br> <br> The company&#39;s Web site says ``a portion of the proceeds will be given to city of New York charities and other charities around the country.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The Daily News said the company has pledged 10 percent of its profits to the Fund for the City of New York, and names the charity in its literature. But a fund spokeswoman told the News that it ``never approved&#39;&#39; the use of its name or agreed to take the money. <br> <br> The company also pledged to set aside 5,000 to 10,000 medallions for victims&#39; families at no charge. <br> <br> ``I don&#39;t want one,&#39;&#39; said Michael Cartier, co-founder of Give Your Voice, a victims&#39; families group. ``There is going to be a large number of people never found because their bodies were pulverized. In all probability, their bodies could be with the steel in those medallions. Where would you display that?&#39;&#39; <br> <br> About 60,000 tons of steel from the trade center have been cut into manageable pieces and shipped to recyclers around the world. Most was sent to South Korea, but shipments also have gone to U.S. cities.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/1/199438

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