County County Legislature Chairman Toney Earl, left, and County Executive Edwin Day
lay roses at the 9/11 memorial
HAVERSTRAW – Residents of Rockland County gathered at the September 11 memorial in Haverstraw Bay County Park on Tuesday to pay their respects and honor the memories of the 81 people with ties to the county who were killed in the terrorist attacks. Also remembered was Robert Kirkpatrick of Suffern, who died in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Family members read the list of names of the victims from Rockland.
“This is a difficult day for all of us,” said County Executive Edwin Day. “Reopening our hears to the fear, anger and pain we felt that bright Tuesday morning 17 years ago is not an easy task. But it is a trial of will that we must undergo, we must remind the families of those who were lost that day that they are not alone.”
He said the “heinous wounds inflicted by the attacks” are still being felt today and the county and its residents are with them.
“We are here as friends, family, neighbors, an entire county united to speak loudly and clearly in support of the families who have suffered a grievous loss.”
Day also made mention of those who have died due to the aftereffects of the terror attacks noting that in the next year or so, “more people will have died from breathing toxic air than were killed on that September day.” That includes people who were in the emergency services, volunteers, and those who lived or worked nearby.
A bell tolled, a moment of silence observed at 8:46 a.m. in remembrance of the attack on the North Tower of the World Trade Center, and again at 9:03 a.m. in memory of the attack on the South Tower.
Four more bells sounded toward the end of the ceremony in remembrance of the attack on the Pentagon, the collapse of the South Tower, the crash of Flight 93 into Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the collapse of the North Tower.
