Children of terrorist victims bond at summer camp

MIDDLEBURG, Va. — Jason Vadhan didn't know anyone when he arrived at a summer camp for young people who, like him, have lost a loved one in a terrorist attack. But it didn't take long for him to form profound relationships.

Vadhan, whose grandmother was on United Flight 93, is one of the 77 participants in Project Common Bond, a summer camp that brings together relatives of 9/11 victims as well as youths from around the world who have been scarred by terrorism.

When the 18-year-old Vadhan, of Atlantic Beach, N.Y., finished a roundtable and interviews with reporters last week, other campers gathered in an adjoining room and burst into applause when he walked in.

"I came here not knowing one person," Vadhan said, "and when that door opened and there were people cheering for us, I walked right up to a kid I met three days ago, and I gave him a hug and I cried."

Project Common Bond is organized by Tuesday's Children, a nonprofit dedicated to serving the families of 9/11 victims. But the camp has, over the years, taken on a more international focus. This year's eight-day camp — held on the campus of a girls' private school about 40 miles west of Washington — included participants from eight countries, including, for the first time, Russia and Sri Lanka.

Many of the campers, who range in age from 15 to 20, return each year for the friendships, the sense of community and the shared experiences. Their lives are shaped by extraordinary events, but at Project Common Bond, they feel normal.

"It's so simple here," said Julie Griffin, 19, whose father was killed on Sept. 11. "Everybody just gets it."

Losing a relative to terrorism is different because the tragedy plays out in public, said Fran Furman, director of counseling at Tuesday's Children.

"You're unique in a way that you didn't choose to be unique," Furman said. "It's very, very difficult to feel like you can connect and bond with other teens."

Yet at the camps, close relationships form instantaneously.

"There's that deep connection," said Caitlin Leavey, 20, whose father, a firefighter, died while responding to the World Trade Center attack. "One of my friends doesn't speak English, and I'm still able to communicate with her and make a lasting friendship. I think that's amazing."