Westchester Sept. 11 Remembrances Keeps Spirit of Those Lost Alive
Westchester County and many of its communities spent a sparkling Sunday afternoon remembering and reflecting on the 15th anniversary of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Throughout the day somber but uplifting ceremonies recalled the nearly 3,000 lives lost at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the four airplanes that were crashed, along with the first responders who bravely rushed into the twin towers.
The day culminated with the county’s annual ceremony at Kensico Dam Plaza in front of Westchester’s 9/11 memorial The Rising.
“Our remembrance tonight is bittersweet,” said County Executive Rob Astorino. “We come here to grieve what was so wrongly taken from us. And yet beneath these silver beams pointing to heaven, our prayer is a celebration of all that is good.”
The nearly hour-long program featured the reading of the names by relatives and county officials of the 123 Westchester residents lost that day. Family and friends of many of those who perished placed flower bouquets, and in some cases, pictures of their loved ones in front of the panels with their engraved names that ring The Rising.
Earlier, Rep. Nita Lowey at ceremonies in New Castle and Armonk, pledged to maintain the needed resources for a strong military and law enforcement domestically.
“We all work together to stop terrorism abroad and at home,” Lowey said. “United together we will continue to endure and to protect the American way of life.”
North Castle Supervisor Michael Schiliro said it is crucial for Americans to remember the victims of 9/11 and the sacrifices made by police and firefighters and servicemen and women in the military. Despite the passage of time, ceremonies on Sept.11 must always continue.
“It should never end,” Schiliro said during the town’s late afternoon ceremony at Wampus Brook Park. “They should exist forever because (of) two main reasons: never forget those who fell that day. All of us surely have somebody we remember closely. But it also gives us a very stern reminder of the people who protect us every day. You have to look no further than the people on my left and on my right, and those people who do it on a daily basis.”
Astorino said that in the time since the attacks, there is a generation of Sept. 11 sons and daughters growing up who were either too young to remember a parent who died that day or who weren’t born yet. He recalled how President Franklin D. Roosevelt, shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack, wrote a letter to the future President in 1956 to have a young American considered for admission to West Point as “an act of faith in the destiny of our country.”
Caitlyn Lyons was 13 months old and her sister, Mary Michael, wasn’t born yet when their father, Michael, a New York City firefighter, was killed on Sept. 11. She is now a junior at Westlake High School in Mount Pleasant, while Mary Michael is a sophomore. Both are excelling in school and sports while Caitlyn is a talented artist, Astorino said.
Similarly, Ryan and Ethan Zeplin, who both attend Rye Country Day School, lost their dad, Marc, a Cantor Fitzgerald equities trader on Sept. 11, he said. Today, Ryan, a senior, and Ethan, a sophomore, are varsity athletes and honors students.
“There is no stronger renewal of President Roosevelt’s act of faith than seeing Caitlyn, Mary Michael, Ryan and Ethan here tonight,” Astorino said. “They give us confidence that whatever our challenges, our future remains an optimistic one.”
Board of Legislators Chairman Michael Kaplowitz said the horrific nature of the losses for the victims and their loved ones makes it necessary for the entire community to grieve and remember.
“This far too public loss that brings with it a necessity and a responsibility to collectively mourn,” Kaplowitz said. “The Rising memorial is a fitting and august place for our congregation, but it also provides hope and optimism for the future, for without such hope we cannot move on.”
Astorino said the ceremony and the memorial is not only to pay tribute to the dead, but to help everyone re-evaluate their lives.
“It is a chance for all of us to hit the “pause” button on the overstuffed, overstimulated and over-the-top activities that consume our daily lives,” he said, “and quietly ask ourselves what are the really important things for us to accomplish during our short time on earth?
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
