{"id":850,"date":"2015-09-09T21:48:10","date_gmt":"2015-09-10T03:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alwayssupportourheroes.com\/WordPress\/?p=850"},"modified":"2015-09-09T21:48:10","modified_gmt":"2015-09-10T03:48:10","slug":"september-11-2001-remembrance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alwayssupportourheroes.com\/?p=850","title":{"rendered":"September 11, 2001 Remembrance"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Kristina<\/a>

Kristina and I in Iceland, August 2015<\/p><\/div>\n

This blog was originally written on September 11, 2012.\u00a0 There have been significant changes in my life since the time of it’s writing.\u00a0 The most important being my health.\u00a0 In 2013 I was finally diagnosed with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI); which put me on the proper path to being able to manage the daily migraines that you all have come to know as “Throb”.\u00a0 (That proverbial elephant that has sat on my head for longer than 4 years now).<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

As you read below, you will see that every year I do something significant on September 11th and the reasons why.\u00a0 This year I will once again be doing my FAA recertification (known as CQ) as a gift to myself on this important day in my life.\u00a0 It will mark the second year anniversary of me returning back to work; after the 28 months of being on disability.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

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Sometimes I wonder why certain things have to happen to certain people.\u00a0 Rarely have I asked “why me?” because I truly believe beyond any shadow of a doubt, everything happens for a reason.\u00a0 I know there is a reason my life was spared on September 11, 2001 (and that of my friends).\u00a0 I know there are reasons I have gone through financial and physical hardships; and I know that God is using me – regardless of my circumstances.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

Since 2002, I have now sent care packages or supported 144 service members and their units; with the help of many of you reading this.\u00a0 Thank you for your continued support over the years in making a difference for them; but just as importantly – for believing in me as a human being.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

There is nothing in the world more important to me than my faith; and nothing more valuable in life than knowing I have made a difference.\u00a0 Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to touch your soul in some way … and may this post fill you with hope that out of darkness comes a magnificent light.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

I am living proof.<\/p>\n

\"September<\/a>

September 1, 2015<\/p><\/div>\n

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Always,<\/p>\n

Robin<\/p>\n

“The Sky Angel”<\/p>\n

Robin Schmidt<\/em><\/p>\n

PO Box 16796<\/em><\/p>\n

Seattle, WA 98116<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Field of Flags, Kennesaw, Georgia<\/p>\n

Every year since September 11th, 2001, I have done something “special” to commemorate the day.\u00a0 Sometimes it was volunteering at Habitat, others it was traveling to far away places with dear friends.\u00a0 This year, as God would have it, I found myself alone, trying to finally grapple with the memories that flooded me unexpectedly.\u00a0 Many of you may not know my story, but it is one of miracles through tragedy.\u00a0 And today, I feel the need to share my thoughts, feelings, and emotions, so you will have an opportunity to see who I am, and why I am the way I am.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

You see, 11 years ago four of my friends met me in New York City on September 10th, so we could go to Egypt the following day on vacation.\u00a0 None of the people had met one another, and I was the link for all of us joining together.\u00a0 Three of us were flight attendants, one worked for Phillips Arena, and the other was\/is a firefighter for the city of Orlando. (4 females, one male). \u00a0 The night of the 10th, I remember it raining, and us not wanting to travel far from the Pan American hotel on Queens Boulevard.\u00a0 So, we went to a little Italian restaurant, to get to know one another a little better, and make plans for the following day.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

We all agreed to wake up at 7am, get ready quickly, and be out the door and on the subway at 8am.\u00a0 Our first stop would be the Windows of the World, so everyone who had not been to New York City could see the view from “the top”.\u00a0 From there, we planned to go to Canal street to pick up any last minute items for our trip to Egypt.\u00a0 Then we would take the subway back to the hotel, finish getting ready, and go to JFK for our flight.\u00a0 What I am writing now is from my perspective and memories, and may not be exactly the same as my other friends remember.\u00a0 Emotions and time may have altered things a bit, but I do know that it affected each of us profoundly, and differently.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

As I write this, it is as though the event occurred yesterday.\u00a0 Every single one of us woke up 1\/2 an hour late.\u00a0 So we were rushing to get out the door.\u00a0 Kristina and I were the last two getting ready in the bathroom, telling everyone to calm down and we would be done shortly.\u00a0 \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 I told Janeen to turn on her favorite tv show as a joke, knowing she would be watching CNN.\u00a0 It wasn’t but just a few minutes when I heard a tone in her voice that I will never forget, which was “Oh my God”.\u00a0 Not knowing what she was talking about, I went into the room to ask what was wrong.\u00a0 She pointed at the television and said “a plane just hit the World Trade Center”.\u00a0 My response was that it was probably a small Cessna, and don’t worry, we would be leaving to head that way soon.\u00a0 (brains don’t always connect dots immediately).<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

I do know that Eric and Beth immediately were in the hallway, watching what was happening from the big picture window.\u00a0 At the time there were not trees to block our view, and I cannot tell you who of my friends actually watched the second plane hit the towers.\u00a0 But I know at least two or three of them did.\u00a0 I know I watched it happen on the news.\u00a0 Immediately my disaster and emergency training went into gear and I called immediately to get us a rental car as an escape route out of town.\u00a0 We had come from Atlanta, Orlando, and California.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

My memories from what happened next, are that all five of us were at that big window; each of us watching in astonishment as the Towers crumbled before our very eyes.\u00a0 I kept asking if this was some kind of movie that no one told us about and if Arnold Schwartzenager was going to come and save the day.\u00a0 The sky went from a completely clear sky, to dark in moments.\u00a0\u00a0 It was so surreal, that I could not believe what was actually happening before my very eyes.\u00a0 And yet, deep in my soul, I wanted to go and help.\u00a0 But I had my four friends to think about, and I knew we needed to get out of dodge.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

As moments passed, we realized we would not be able to go anywhere for a while.\u00a0 Everything was shut down.\u00a0 I know that at some point one of my friends (I have no idea which one) and I decided to go find a store that was open nearby, to get us food for the day.\u00a0 All we could find nearby was a Chinese grocery store open.\u00a0 I remember us buying beer and grapes.\u00a0 Isn’t that funny?\u00a0 The little details of what I remember, but I could not tell you anything else that was purchased.<\/p>\n

~~<\/div>\n
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But as we were walking to and from the grocery store, I remember people running from downtown Manhattan (only 3 miles away) covered in ash.\u00a0 The expressions on their faces was sheer horror.\u00a0 I remember buses driving past with people hanging out the windows, just to be able to fit as many people in as possible.\u00a0 They all had that same look of fear and horror in their eyes.\u00a0 I did not choose to take any pictures that day, except of us in our hotel room.\u00a0 To this day, I cannot tell you where those pictures are.<\/div>\n
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~~<\/div>\n
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After returning from the grocery store, Janeen and I went to get the car from La Guardia airport.\u00a0 I remember walking onto Queens Blvd and taxis driving by with no people in them.\u00a0 None of them would stop.\u00a0 So I literally walked in the middle of the street and stood in front of a cab until it had no choice but to either stop, or run me over.\u00a0 The driver refused to take us to the airport, telling me “are you insane? The airport is closed and I am not taking you anywhere”.\u00a0 I told him “you can either take us there, or let me drive the car and I will take us myself.\u00a0 We will not get out of your vehicle.”\u00a0 There were a lot of experlative words spoken, but finally he took us.<\/div>\n
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~~<\/div>\n
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When we got to Avis (the only rental car agency at the time that was not charging a “drop fee”, the person at the counter proceeded to tell us they were all out of vehicles.\u00a0 I remember arguing (more swear words) that I had a reservation and he needed to get his manager to the facility or on the phone.\u00a0 I basically told the manager that I had gotten a reservation hours prior and if he didn’t have a vehicle for us, he could happily give me the keys to his own car.\u00a0 Ironically, the next thing I knew, there was a mini van for us to drive off the lot.<\/div>\n
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~~<\/div>\n
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We made it back to the hotel, to find so many people in the lobby trying to get information and find rooms.\u00a0 People were standing in line at the pay phone to try to get out.\u00a0 None of us had computers because we were traveling to Egypt, and cell phone service was sporadic, at best.\u00a0 We already had five people in our room, so there wasn’t room for more.\u00a0 That is where we huddled, trying to distract one another by playing cards or anything else we could think of.\u00a0 I don’t remember much about the hotel after that.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

The following morning, once the only bridge out of town was open, we left.\u00a0 It was still dark outside.\u00a0 I remember that we had to drive closer to Manhattan in order to get out of town.\u00a0 I believe it was the Tapanzee bridge or tunnel we had to go through or over.\u00a0 But what I remember most from that day was the smoke and the smell.\u00a0 Hard to describe, but one I will never forget.\u00a0 The ride over the bridge was surreal as well.\u00a0 We were driving out of the city as the sun came up, and through the smoke we saw a military convoy going the other direction ~ toward downtown.\u00a0 I knew in an instant we were going to war.\u00a0 Eric kept saying he wanted to stay, but he felt a sense of responsibility to get us girls back home safely.\u00a0 I wanted desperately to go and help as well, but I felt so guilty for having put my friends in harms way, that I had to get them back home.\u00a0 It was difficult because Kristina had come from California and as the day progressed, we learned all flights had been cancelled.\u00a0 We tried to get her a rental car from various cities, but there were none to be found.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

We found ourselves on conference calls through our job as flight attendants, trying to get updates.\u00a0 I don’t remember much of the drive, other than our only outlet was stopping at the Hershey Factory in Pennsylvania for a distraction.\u00a0 I know it was an extremely difficult time for each of us, lost in our own thoughts.\u00a0 Once we arrived in Atlanta, Kristina took the rental vehicle and drove to California by herself.\u00a0 It was so hard, because we were all so exhausted and I just wanted her to rest a while before the drive.\u00a0 I would have gone with her.\u00a0 But I just couldn’t function from the shock and exhaustion.\u00a0 I don’t know how she made that drive alone, but I know she needed and was committed to getting back to her family.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

We all react in our own ways.\u00a0 Mine was “how can I help?”.\u00a0 I volunteered at the Operational Control Center, helping to get a hold of our flight crews that were in international destinations, making sure they had transportation to get to a city where they would be able to travel once flights were back in the air.\u00a0 Many crews had gone to various locations on their own, and we knew that the FAA would only allow particular airports, with the appropriate security, to come back into the USA once flights were lifted.\u00a0 I was just happy to be helping in some way or another, and talking to people who were all over the globe, wondering what was happening back in America found relief in having that phone connection with us.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

Once flights began again, I did “emergency flying” for only a day.\u00a0 Then everyone figured out I was on my vacation time and told me to go home and rest.\u00a0 What I did, was go home, pack my suitcase, get my laptop, and get on the first flight to New York City.\u00a0 ( Every day that I as there, I did a journal as a Word Document on my computer.\u00a0 The problem was that when I returned, my laptop crashed, and I lost everything that was on my hard drive.\u00a0 It was just meant to be that certain memories were only to be locked in my mind, and not specifically etched in stone forever\u00a0 That is why you are getting only what I remember now.)<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

When I landed, I got a free cab ride from the airport (yes, in NYC!) to the Red Cross and said “I have disaster management training through my job, two hands, a willing heart, and will do anything you want me to do”.\u00a0 I know I didn’t have a place to stay and that was going to be an issue at some point.\u00a0 But I really believed God had called me to “COME” and there was no turning back.\u00a0 He would provide … after all, He had just saved my life.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

Initially I had gone to the Red Cross on Amsterdam Avenue.\u00a0 They tried to give me keys to a van (I had never driven in New York, nor did I know the streets AT ALL) and told me to go to the Hard Rock Cafe to pick up food, to take to Ground Zero for the Respitz Center where all the workers were still looking for survivors.\u00a0 I laughed and said “I don’t mind doing that, but you need to give me a driver”.\u00a0 It was so weird, being in the City at that time.\u00a0 I had stayed with Janeen’s cousin for two nights in Jersey. But that wasn’t working and I needed a place to stay.\u00a0 I also had found out that I had to go to the Red Cross center in Brooklyn, to get an ID so I could volunteer and go to Ground Zero.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

As I walked down the hallway to get my ID, I saw a man in a firefighter shirt, giving someone a massage in one of those chairs.\u00a0 I asked if he could do that to me.\u00a0 He told me to come back after getting my ID.\u00a0 After introducing ourselves to one another, he asked how long I would be in town.\u00a0 I told him “I don’t really know, because I don’t have a place to stay”.\u00a0 He literally had spoken to me for three minutes.\u00a0 He picked up his phone and said “hey Ang, it’s Jimmy.\u00a0 I’m here with my good friend, Robin, the flight attendant.\u00a0 She came up to help out my “brothers” and she needs a place to stay.\u00a0 Sure, we will be there at 8.”.\u00a0 We both volunteered all day, and he drove me to Jersey to get my luggage.\u00a0 From there, he took me to an angel on earth.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

Angie had\/has a one bedroom apartment on Roosevelt Island.\u00a0 That island had been cut off from society for three entire days, and she was thankful to have someone to talk to.\u00a0 I was incredibly grateful to have a place to stay, because it meant I could stay ~ which I did for 18 days.\u00a0 Angie would take no payment, she just kept saying “this is my way of helping”.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

I volunteered at the Family Assistance Center and Ground Zero, going between the two.\u00a0 Until one day on the subway, I overheard a family member say to the person sitting next to them “you know, it was the flight attendants fault.\u00a0 They were submissive and gave in to the terrorists.”\u00a0 I began to cry uncontrollably, but didn’t say a word.\u00a0 When I got to what was referred to as the FAC, I told them that I could not help the families any longer.\u00a0 It was a conflict of interest for me, and I would better be of service at Ground Zero.\u00a0 It upset me for a very long time that anyone could think or feel that way about the flight crews who were trained to save lives, and it took years of counseling for me to get over the fact that everyone reacts to things in a different way.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

But to be honest, my true colors came out at Ground Zero.\u00a0 There I served meals to the firefighters, police officers, steel workers, military personnel, OSHA, FBI, and every other agency that was there.\u00a0 Along with every other volunteer, we tried to encourage those people just get a little bit of rest.\u00a0 But more than anything, they just wanted to keep looking for survivors.\u00a0 And in picking up their plates after meals, they began to talk to me about what was going on in their own minds.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

I will never forget the stories like a Fire Chief telling me how just a few months prior, they had a camping trip with his “guys” and their kids.\u00a0 He retold his memories of them all sitting around the fire telling stories, and cried in my arms as he said he could not believe all of those children were going to grow up without their dads.\u00a0 He just happened to not be on shift that morning. That conversation ended with him telling me “thank you for showing up”.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

Someone from the CIA had come in after an entire day at what was known as “the pile”.\u00a0 He told me that day they had decided to start issuing death certificates because they knew they would not find any more survivors.\u00a0 The only that had been saved were two or three fire fighters and a woman I think who was named Geraldine, in the very beginning.\u00a0 He asked me “how do I tell a family member that their loved one is dead, when there is not any DNA or proof”?\u00a0 I told him the story of my mom dying in a car accident in 1996.\u00a0 How I never got to see her body or tell her goodbye.\u00a0 How even though my sister had told me she had identified my mom from a lock of her hair (she was bandaged everywhere), that I personally had previously struggled because I never saw for myself.\u00a0 I never had any proof.\u00a0 And for almost a year afterward, I wondered if I would get a phone call from my mom, telling me she was alive and there had been a mistake.\u00a0 I understood what it was like to not have closure. It is a difficult thing to process.\u00a0 He also ended his conversation with “thank you for being here … thank you for showing up” as tears flowed from both of us.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

Another day at Ground Zero I was talking to a Marine who had been working the “pile” and I said “we are going to war, aren’t we?”.\u00a0 He replied “yes”.\u00a0 And in that conversation I made a commitment to him that I would do everything I could to support our troops while they were deployed.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

A chain of events a few months afterward, with me meeting a soldier on a military charter gave me my first opportunity.\u00a0 Since that point in time, I have “adopted” (written letters, cards, postcards, and sent care packages to 119 service members) through their deployments.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

What was the most tragic event next to Pearl Harbor in US history, turned out to be the most life changing and beautiful experience for me.\u00a0 I have always been one to do things for others and put people before myself.\u00a0 However, I learned through volunteering in this situation, that my life had a much bigger purpose.\u00a0 I learned that me “showing up” actually mattered.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

It was life changing for me.\u00a0 I stayed for 18 days, working the midnight to 8am shift.\u00a0 Angie would get out of bed, and I would roll in and take it over for a few hours before heading back out again. She became like a second mom to me over the years, with her life coaching, mentoring, and unconditional love.\u00a0 She has helped me to process my feelings and find new ways to think about life events.\u00a0 If any of you ever meet her, you will agree that she is truly an earth angel.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

There is much I can say about September 11, 2001 and the months that I went back and forth to volunteer afterward.\u00a0 But what I want to share the most, is that thousands of people died between New York City, the Pentagon, and on an airplane full of heroes in Pennsylvania.\u00a0 Many more have died in war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.\u00a0 I don’t care whether you believe in the war or not, because I care about our troops who are following orders and doing what they can to keep the enemy from striking us on US soil again.\u00a0 Others have come home with deep wounds that can and cannot be seen.\u00a0 Honor them, help them any way you can.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

Reach out to our firefighters, police officers, first responders, humanitarians, flight crews, and people you would normally take for granted ~ like the people who will save your life when needed on an airplane.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because they each made career choices to put themselves in harms way, in order to protect you from harm.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

As for me, I have learned that I am truly a humanitarian at heart.\u00a0 Not only am I willing to travel to the ends of the earth to help those in need, I am my happiest when I am living my life with the purpose of sharing Gods love.\u00a0 Maybe that is through a kind gesture, or a smile.\u00a0 Maybe it is simply by me “showing up” when someone is in need.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

Many of you know this has been a difficult 16 months for me, but God is teaching me much in this time with “Throb”.\u00a0 Some of you have suggested that maybe it was my time in NY that caused this head pain to start.\u00a0 Who knows?\u00a0 Only my Creator truly knows … and each day I am getting stronger and I know my purpose is still being fulfilled.\u00a0 Even if it is by me sharing my experiences, so each of you can learn from them.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

Every day I thank God for the gift of life He has given me … and I know He has tremendous plans.\u00a0 And although there are times that I feel deep and gut wrenching pain for the lives that have been lost on that day, or my loved ones that have passed through the years; it just shows me how big my heart is.\u00a0 It is a heart full of love for my fellow man and all humans everywhere.<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

No matter who we are, our lives have purpose … I encourage you to find what makes your heart happy … and live your passion.\u00a0 Today, I ask only one thing of you.\u00a0 No matter what your religious belief, take time to thank your Creator for the life you have been given.\u00a0 Allow yourself to look in the mirror and smile at the reflection … knowing you are loved beyond all comprehension.\u00a0 Take it from someone who has gone through hell and back here on earth, and years of counseling to know …the greatest gift we can give one another, is that of our heart.\u00a0 After all, if I hadn’t overslept 1\/2 hour late, eleven years ago, I wouldn’t be around to tell you what a miracle life is …<\/p>\n

~~<\/p>\n

Always,<\/p>\n

Robin<\/p>\n

“The Sky Angel”<\/p>\n

September 11, 2012<\/p>\n

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This blog was originally written on September 11, 2012.\u00a0 There have been significant changes in my life since the time of it’s writing.\u00a0 The most important being my health.\u00a0 In 2013 I was finally diagnosed with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI); which put me on the proper path to being able to manage the daily […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,3],"tags":[28,35,26,29,21,20,7,38,30,24,27,18,16,40,19,37,22,17,6,5],"class_list":["post-850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-skyangel-update","category-supporting-our-heroes","tag-air-force","tag-always-support-our-heroes","tag-army","tag-coast-guard","tag-hero","tag-heroes","tag-humanitarian","tag-love-every-day","tag-mail-call-for-our-heroes","tag-marines","tag-navy","tag-robin-schmidt","tag-soldiers","tag-supporting-our-heroes","tag-the-sky-angel","tag-throb","tag-travel","tag-troops","tag-volunteering","tag-wounded-warrior"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alwayssupportourheroes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alwayssupportourheroes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alwayssupportourheroes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alwayssupportourheroes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alwayssupportourheroes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=850"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.alwayssupportourheroes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":855,"href":"https:\/\/www.alwayssupportourheroes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850\/revisions\/855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alwayssupportourheroes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alwayssupportourheroes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alwayssupportourheroes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}