Fallen 9/11 Heroes to be Recognized at Peekskill Riverfront
A day before the 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, three members of the New York State Supreme Court Officers Association who lost their lives trying to rescue people in the World Trade Center will be recognized at a ceremony at the Riverfront Green in Peekskill.
A park bench and plaque with the names of Captain William Thompson, 51, Mitchell Wallace, 34, and Thomas Jurgens, 26, who died near each other in the Twin Towers, will be dedicated on September 10 at 5 p.m.
Robert Mastanduno, treasurer of the New York State Supreme Court Officers Association, had tried for more than two years to have the names of the three officers added to an existing 9/11 Memorial at Riverfront Green but was met with resistance by the Peekskill Fire Department, which fully funded and built the memorial in 2009.
The 9/11 Memorial in Peekskill was primarily designed to honor Samuel Oitice, a 25-year member of the Peekskill Fire Department and a former city police officer. Oitice, 45, who worked for FDNY Ladder 4 after working as a police officer in the city, died at the World Trade Center. He was found on March 13, 2002.
Philip Hersh, a prominent attorney in Peekskill, worked with the firefighters and Court Officers Association to reach a compromise and organize the memorial service next month.
“I applaud the efforts of the Peekskill Fire Department/Volunteer Fire Department for their efforts in recognizing the heroic efforts of these three court officers who perished on 9/11 and providing an opportunity for their family, friends and members of the community to reflect and be honored along with the other 9/11 heroes from our community at this memorial site,” Hersh said.
Mastanduno, whose efforts were triggered by a court officer who lives in Peekskill who was at the riverfront one day and noticed his fellow court officers were not among the names of those who sacrificed their lives on that fateful September 11 morning when hijacked airplanes toppled the towers and killed more than 2,600, said he was determined to ensure Thompson, Wallace and Jurgens were properly remembered.
The three deceased court officers are memorialized at Ground Zero in Manhattan and at a memorial in Coney Island. The Supreme Court Officers Association has court houses in Peekskill.
“I guess just persistence won. I wasn’t backing down,” Mastanduno said. “It ended up being a lot more of a project than I thought it would be. It’s not my ideal resolution, but it’s a resolution enough. The end result is they belong side by side with everyone else that gave their lives. Everyone who gave their lives is a hero. They ran in when everyone else was running out.”
The Peekskill Parks Department will be installing the bench. The September 10 event will include pipes and drums and many Supreme Court judges dressed in their robes.
“I believe it will be a great event,” Mastanduno said.
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