Mineola took the evening of Sept. 11 to honor those killed in the terrorist attacks 24 years ago, with officials highlighting the heroism of three court officers who died saving others and the importance of how the country came together the following day.
Mineola Fire Department Chief Robert Connolly gave the ceremony’s keynote speech, which centered on three New York court officers, Thomas Jurgens, William Harry Thompson and Mitchell Wallace, who ran into the burning World Trade Center to save others in 2001.
“We lost three heroes that day, who I would argue were not only New York’s smartest, they too could be defined as brave, bold and they truly served with the finest of distinctions,” said Connolly, a former New York court officer, as he cited the traits frequently associated with the city’s court, police, firefighters and correctional officers. “They did not have to respond. They chose to respond. Their passion for helping others led them to that scene. Undoubtedly, their actions saved lives.”
Connolly said he chose to dedicate his speech to his former colleagues because he felt the sacrifice of court officers that day has frequently been overlooked.
“During my time in the courts, I made a lot of valuable friendships,” Connolly said. “Seeing those members pass away that day was a challenge for me personally and for our organization as a whole.”
Connolly shared details of their lives, tracing the ways their paths crossed with his own. He then told the story of each of them on the day of the attack and of how they died:
“On the morning of 9/11, Tom responded downtown when the first plane hit. Using his training as an EMT and a former combat medic in the U.S. Army, he began the triage unit,” Connolly said. “With the initial treatment underway, he made the decision to continue into the basement and search for more people who needed assistance. At 27 years old, with three years of service, Senior Corps Officer Thomas Jurgens was killed on 9/11.”
Connolly continued, “Harry was a strong, tall, imposing figure who defined command presence…He was squared away, shined shoes, pressed uniform, hat always squarely on his head…The academy was on the 12th floor of 123 William St. and Harry insisted on climbing those stairs every day when he came to work.”
“On Sept. 11, Harry was at the academy when the plane struck. He headed down to the scene with the rest of the academy staff to render aid. I’m told in true Harry fashion, he had his hat on,” Connolly said. “He undoubtedly climbed those stairs with ease. At 51 years old, with over 27 years of service, Capt. William Harry Thompson was killed on Sept. 11.”
Connolly was joined on stage by Noreen McDonough, then fiancée to Mitch Wallace, who placed a wreath on the village’s 9/11 memorial later in the ceremony. She sat behind him while he shared Wallace’s story.
“On Sept. 11, Mitch was walking up from the train towards the ports. He saw all the commotion downtown, and he called Noreen to tell her to please call his boss and let him know he was going to be late: There had been a terrible accident, and he had to help,” Connolly said. “Noreen told him, ‘No, Mitch. This is no accident. This is deliberate. This is an attack.’ She pleaded with him not to go. Mitch replied, ‘There are bodies everywhere. I need to help.’”
“Moments later, a photographer would capture a picture of Mitch rendering aid in the street, even as the buildings were burning above him,” Connolly continued. “He was last seen going back into those towers, into the basement to search for more victims. At 34 years old, with months to go before he remarried to Noreen, senior portal officer Mitchell Wallace was killed on 9/11.”
Connolly said he had been transferred out of the city office just six months before the Sept. 11 attack.
“I worked with all those people on a daily basis. I was in that building with them,” Connolly said. “When we got the call that this had happened, my mind immediately went to my friends who were working in the city and where they might be.
“Of course, the phones were out. We couldn’t get in contact with people,” he continued. “And then slowly we got in contact with people, and you were reassured that everyone was OK. And then there were those one or two you couldn’t find, and you thought, ‘oh, they just must have lost their phone. Maybe they just can’t get through to me right now. Then those days and weeks went on, and you realized they were lost. It was just unfathomable sorrow and grief as we moved forward, realizing that people who didn’t even need to be there put themselves in harm’s way and gave the ultimate sacrifice.”
Mayor Paul Pereira then addressed the crowd, emphasizing the importance of the country’s coming together after the attack the following day.
“Sept. 11 was a day of shock and horror, Sept. 12 was a day of profound uncertainty, grief and resolve. That day our country was enveloped in fear,” Pereira said. “On Sept. 12, 2001, we saw the unyielding resolve of the American spirit. The terrorist’s actions had shattered steel and brought down buildings, but they could not dent the foundation of this nation.”
As a history teacher, Pereira said this was the way he chose to speak about the attack to his class that day.
“We proved that even in the face of the uncontrollable, we have control over how we respond. We chose courage, resilience and unity,” Pereira continued. We’ll never forget those lost on Sept. 11, but on Sept. 12, we remember how we began to heal, to rebuild and to rise again together.”
A Boy Scout troop stood at attention through the ceremony, and the Mineola Fire Department presented the colors.
Rev. Malcom Burns of Corpus Christi Church offered an invocation, and Rabbi Anchelle Perl of Chabad Mineola offered the closing prayer.
