PASCACK VALLEY—Our towns and boroughs marked a solemn 20th anniversary of the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 on Saturday, gathering in vigil and prayer, in the laying of wreaths, in the shining of lights against the darkness, and in song and salute.
Remembrances also were private, with each of us who lived through that crisis doubtless reflecting on the day and considering the worlds we lost and inherited.
Schoolchildren, scouts, babes in arms: This is their world, and a newly dangerous one, and there is a strong desire to make sure they grow up knowing what was lost — taken from our families and communities.
As important, we need them to know what was selflessly given from the best of us, on 9/11 and in the day’s immediate aftermath and in the two decades that followed.
Every one of our towns — Emerson, Hillsdale, Montvale, Park Ridge, River Vale, Township of Washington, Westwood, and Woodcliff Lake — feels a personal connection to this story because it is our families’ story. And so our observances, more than most, arguably stand for more than most. They are promises kept, and they are the unfinished work of grief, and they are a statement of love and profound resolve.
We will not forget. We go on together, caring for those who need a hand, a hug, or aid more essential.
We have fought, and will fight, to make sure anyone left ill from their heroic response to 9/11 is cared for as a proper national priority.
We are families of the fallen, families of service members, and unique survivors. We are a link in the chain of American history, which has always been a bloody story. It has always demanded much of patriots, and it has always been a work in progress. Indeed, our project from the start has been to make of ourselves a more perfect union.
We’ll never quite get to perfection. The work is messy, loud, and — where it sometimes succeeds — fragile. But the calling to try for justice, mutual aid, and widespread opportunity is our birthright. It’s always possible to try to do better by ourselves and our families and neighbors.
The Pascack Valley will never forget. Thank you for sharing your stories with us. And thank you for carrying forward together, because as long as we’re Americans the work is ongoing, and it’s going to take all of us caring for ourselves and each other in ways large and small — as history always proves.
We’re pleased to bring you a few other remarks on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11. We’ll bring you more next week as well.
Westwood
The borough gathered in Veterans Park. Mayor Ray Arroyo said, “We remember the 2,977 innocent souls who perished on that awful day, including four Westwood residents: Daphne Pouletsos, Michael Wholey, Francis Riccardelli, and Kalyan Sarkar.”
He said, “We remember the 2,448 armed services members lost in ‘the endless war,’ including our own Marine Sgt, Christopher Hrbek, as well as the 13 Marines slain just weeks ago.”
And, he said, “We remember the 343 New York City firefighters killed that day, the 60 police officers, the eight paramedics, along with the many acts of bravery and kindness displayed by EMS personnel and everyday Americans.”
Arroyo said, “The national unity and international support inspired by the tragedy of the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93 attacks is now upside down and backwards. Stable international relations are uncertain and in flux. Twenty years later the nation is riven by fevered all-or-nothing partisanship. It feels like an endless war is now playing out in our national politics and in our culture.”
He said, “Yet in Westwood on Sept. 11, we gather together, all colors, creeds and political parties, to stand, shoulder to shoulder, in quiet respect, reflection and remembrance. Still.”
Township of Washington
Mayor Peter Calamari thanked attendees of the township’s 9/11 observance, noting the bright weather evoked that of the early morning of 20 years ago.
The township remembers Michael Dias-Piedra III and James Romito, lost in the attack.
Calamari said in part, “We continue to lose too many people to this day who were directly affected by the long-term health issues suffered on that day, and the days following for the brave first responders. We renew our promise never to forget them, never to forget the cruelty that was visited upon our nation 20 years ago, and never to forget those who put themselves in harm’s way to save and care for others.”
He said, “20 years later, we must ask ourselves, How can we best continue to honor the legacy of those who lost their lives so senselessly?”
In attempting to answer the question, he said he recalled “myriad images that so many of us watched play out on our television screens on this day 20 years ago. I can still see planes crashing, buildings collapsing, and innocent people fleeing for their lives — but some of the most striking images from that day depict the many first responders running straight into danger, to what was almost certain death, in order to save others, people they had never even met.”
He cited FDNY firefighter Clarence Singleton, speaking to “The Today Show” in 2018 on why he rushed to Ground Zero on 9/11. He said, “One of my sons called, begging me, ‘Daddy, don’t go, don’t go, you’re retired.’ But I still had this pull. I just felt compelled to go.” His desire to help others was so great that it pulled him out of the safety of retirement [in 2000] and right into the middle of one of the most dangerous situations imaginable, potentially sacrificing everything to help save others.”
Calamari said, “Clarence and the many other heroic men and women like him showed us radical selflessness in action that day. And so, we come back to the question, How can we honor the legacy of those who lost their lives so tragically? I suggest we look to Clarence and the other first responders for the answer.”
He said, “While most of us will never face a situation like the one first responders encountered on 9/11, we can live our lives with the same radical selflessness they displayed that day. We can put others first. We can choose to be patient, caring, hopeful, and grateful. We can give others the benefit of the doubt. We can respond to cruelty with kindness.”
Calamari said, “Today, as we remember the pain, suffering, and grief brought upon our nation by some of the worst actions humanity has to offer, we can honor the legacy of those who were lost by choosing to live our lives with the best that humanity has to offer.”
Park Ridge
Cpl. Jedh C. Barker Memorial American Legion Post 153 hosted its annual Patriot Day Memorial Service on Saturday, Sept. 11 at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Mercy Church. The ceremony was co-sponsored by the mayor and council. The event honored the Park Ridge Seven. On the program: post commander Robert Oppelt, past commander Dick Bozzone, and borough liaison Robert Metzdorf; Park Ridge boy and girl scouts (the girls decorated the monument with luminaria); Mayor Keith Misciagna read names of the lost; auxiliary member Tammy Levinson tolled the bell; Bill Hennig furnished patriotic music; a color guard; memorial wreaths; and the playing of “Taps.”
Benediction was by the Rev. Marc Stutzel of Christ Lutheran Church.
In Washington, D.C.
President Joe Biden commemorated the 20th anniversary of the attacks by emphasizing the nation’s “unity and resilience” in their aftermath.
And he expressed his deep condolences to those who lost loved ones, and his gratitude for first responders.
He said in part, “We saw a national unity bend. We learned that unity is the one thing that must never break. Unity is what makes us who we are, America at its best.”