More than 1,000 people gathered at Town Park Point Lookout this morning as the Town of Hempstead held a memorial service for those who lost their lives as a result of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Twenty-four years after the tragedy, which had claimed the lives of almost 3,000 people, including more than 200 Hempstead residents, emotions were still raw.
Tissues, carnations, and small American flags were handed out on the way in, and people could be seen crying throughout the ceremony.
Hempstead Town Supervisor John Ferretti opened the memorial by highlighting Point Lookout Beach’s connection to 9/11 as a spot where New York City’s skyline can be seen.
“Many town residents came here to confirm with their own eyes what was being reported across the United States,” he said, “smoke rising from the place where the majestic twin towers once stood.”
The event’s keynote speaker was Steve Marsar, a retired battalion chief for the New York City Fire Department who was involved in search and rescue efforts on 9/11.
In his remarks, Marsar said that he had been on vacation the day of the attack and that his unit had been held back from action once they had been recalled to the firehouse. These two things, he said, are the reason he is alive.
Marsar was part of Manhattan’s Ladder Company 7, which lost every member when they were trapped in the south tower as it collapsed.
Ultimately, he said, the events of 9/11 offered a chance for reflection.
“Amid all the controversy, the stories, the tragedies of that single day, I ask each of you to remember how this country and the world came together,” Marsar said. “We looked at each other differently than we did before and trivial things were just that: trivial.”
His voice breaking, Marsar ended his speech by asking for a round of applause rather than a moment of silence to celebrate those who died.
“Thank you for never forgetting,” he said.
Also involved were U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who led the Pledge of Allegiance; Rabbi Elie Weinstock of the Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach; the Rev. Michael Duffy of St. Agnes Cathedral; and the Rev. Eric C. Mallette of Freeport’s Greater Second Baptist Church.
Music was provided by Kellenberg Memorial High School’s Gregorian Consortium choir, which performed “The Star-Spangled Banner,” bagpiper Bobby Hughes, who performed “Amazing Grace,” and Levittown Fire Department Captain Fred McFarland, who sang “God Bless the U.S.A.”
After the ceremony, people threw carnations into the ocean and planted small American flags in the sand to commemorate loved ones lost on 9/11.
Mary Kavanagh, who lives in Rockville Centre, attended the annual event for the first time.
“[It’s] so powerful, to have everyone come together, and so important to never forget it,” she said.
Kavanagh said she had probably lost seven neighbors on 9/11 and that her husband, who was near the World Trade Center that day, has dealt with respiratory issues stemming from the fallout.
Thomas Marcy, who lives in West Hempstead, said he came to the memorial out of respect for those who died in the September 11 attacks, even though he did not know any of them personally.
For Marcy, the ceremony was a reminder of the resilience Americans showed in the face of tragedy.
“You can do something to us, but it’s not gonna stop us from being American,” he said
