EDITOR’S NOTE: The following remarks were scheduled to be given by the fire chief during the Sept. 11 ceremony at Memorial Park.
Good morning and thank you all for joining us today to be part of this important remembrance ceremony.
We have come together this morning, as many of us have over the past 23 years, to honor and hold in our collective memories the 2,975 individuals who were killed on Sept. 11, 2001, in the terrorist attacks on America.
Just as we remember those who were lost on 9/11, let us also remember those who have become gravely ill or died of 9/11-related illnesses. The 1,140 individuals who lived and worked in lower Manhattan at the time of the terrorist attacks and suffered from many forms of cancer linked to the exposure of dust and debris from the crumbling towers. Let us remember and keep in our prayers the 1,400 first responders who assisted at ground zero in the days, weeks and months after the attack, and have passed away, predominantly due to injuries sustained or from cancer-related illnesses.
I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize all those men and women who risked their lives and rose in service in response to the 9/11 attacks. The first responders, volunteers, rescue and recovery workers, and the hundreds of thousands of military personnel who serve or have served in our armed forces here at home and overseas, in an effort to keep us out of harm’s way.
Time has passed. We now find ourselves more than two decades removed from that fateful September morning, and while the images are still vivid in the minds of us who lived through 9/11, there is an entire generation that has grown to adulthood and has no personal memory of that day 23 years ago. This day of remembrance is therefore of growing importance, to not only our youth but to all of us. This annual day of remembrance will continue to remind us of the remarkable courage and selflessness shown by so many brave individuals. It will remind us of the kindness that was demonstrated by perfect strangers, who showed up to support each other in time of need, and finally, to remind us that out of tragedy, our community and country showed the best we can be. And we should never forget that.
In closing, I would like to recognize Diana Isbrandtsen, who passed away on Aug. 12 of this year, from multiple myeloma. Diana’s stepson, Erik, was one of the 1,402 victims who perished after the hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 hit the north tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, at 8:46 a.m.
Thank you all for attending and God bless America.
