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Community Corner

9-11 Memorial Unveiled in Glenville

Moving ceremony attended by large crowd.

In a moving ceremony outside , a crowd of over 200 commemorated both the ten-year anniversary of 9-11 and the unveiling of a memorial fabricated from . The sun shone brightly for the ceremony, nearly replicating the weather on the day of the terrorist attacks ten years ago.

The massive I-beam that once held up one of the skyscraper’s inner floors will grab the attention of anyone passing through Glenville for years to come.

Not only will the memorial give future generations pause, but the location of the monument itself is also significant. This may be why the Port Authority of NY and NJ selected the application submitted by the Glenville Fire Department from thousands of submissions.

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A dedication speech was given by Joe Higgins, retired dispatcher for the Fire Department of New York who lost many colleagues on September 11, 2001. Higgins pointed out that in October 1777, the adjacent bridge at the intersection of Glenville and Riversville Roads was the spot where locals held back the advance of British troops until General Putnam’s arrival.

Indeed, in 1777, as in 2001, the response of ordinary Americans made a difference. In his remarks, Senator Richard Blumenthal said, “The terrorists may have hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but they missed America. America is stronger today… wiser in our grief. But they missed America.”

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“For all of us who were lost, please know we will celebrate the everlasting memory of your heroic deeds. You will forever be enshrined in our hearts and minds,” said Blumenthal, who added that of all the ceremonies taking place this weekend, he could not imagine one more moving and powerful than the ceremony in western Greenwich.  

Other highlights of the event included the singing of the National Anthem by Kim Maguire and the shared reading of the Roll of Honor by First Selectman and Fire commissioner Peter Tesei and Fire Chief Peter Siecienski, after which two bagpipers played “Amazing Grace.”

In a poignant moment, Susan Wohlforth, who lost her husband Martin in the attacks ten years ago, was invited along with daughter Chloe to place a wreath of honor and roses at the foot of the memorial.

Sandy Kornberg, president of the Glenville Volunteer Fire Company, graciously thanked everyone whose generosity made the memorial possible, including: Versailles bakery and café; general contractor Fred Durante who fabricated the base of the memorial; landscape contractor Joe Furano; Pustola & Associates; Shemin Company for the plantings; and East Coast Towing, who donated use of the flatbed truck to bring the massive piece of steel from the Port Authority to Glenville.

Retired New York dispatcher Higgins’ words of advice seemed to resonate most with the large crowd. “If you see anything… somebody who doesn’t belong, a truck that drives around the block several times, somebody who doesn’t belong, call them (the police). You’re protecting your country… We cannot rest. We can never ever be complacent.”

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