Hundreds Attend 9/11 Ceremony at Greenwich Town Hall

The crickets chirped peacefully under a tranquil September sky as town leaders; police, fire, and EMS personnel; military officers; local clergy, and hundreds of town residents — including families of the victims — solemnly gathered on the front lawn of Greenwich Town Hall Sunday evening for a moving ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

“The message of our ceremony this evening is one of remembrance, fellowship and peace,” said Christopher Hughes, veteran and member of the Greenwich 9/11 Remembrance Committee, which has organized the annual ceremony for the past nine years. “Today we mark a day that the passage of time will never diminish in importance or in the amount of pain it holds for so many.”

“We gather as community, not just as a town that lost its fellow residents but as a community of Americans — people who believe in a way of life that is inclusive of all and strives continuously to live with liberty and with peace,” Hughes said, as a large American flag suspended high overhead by Glenville Fire Station’s Ladder Truck No. 4 peacefully waved in the breeze. “We remember the fathers and mothers, the sons and daughters, the brothers and sisters, that were taken on this day, and we can stand proudly with the knowledge that we’ve shown the world how to overcome terror and adversity… and continue. We continue to grow as a society – one that people all over this globe want to come and be a part of.”

Hughes said he witnessed the attacks on the World Trade Center, “oddly enough,” from the deck the Intrepid Museum, where he was working at the time.

“At one point, at about 8:45 a.m., this gentleman turned to me and said, ‘Wow the planes fly awfully low in New York City,’” he recalled. “And we watched the first plane come down and strike the first tower. I don’t remember moving from that spot until about 11:30 that morning.”

Addressing the families of the victims who were in attendance (26 people who were town residents or had ties to the town, died in the attacks), he said, “please allow this gathering to serve as a solemn demonstration of our remembrance and support as a community to each of you — especially for the loss you have suffered.”

The well-orchestrated ceremony was comprised of several distinct segments. For example, the First Company Governor's Horse Guard, under the direction of Lt. Cristina Kelleher, presented colors to members of Greenwich Boys & Girls Club Honor Guard under direction of Greenwich Police Lt. Richard Cochran. In addition, Greenwich police, firefighters and EMS workers each contributed their own ceremonies, with sacraments made at the podium, as state, town and civic leaders, as well as the large crowd of residents, looked on.

It also included a reading of the names of the victims from Greenwich, as read aloud by state Rep. Livvy Floren, as candles for each victim were lighted by Mary Jones, volunteer for Disaster and Emergency Services for the Greenwich chapter of the American Red Cross.

In addition, prayers were read by the Rev. Thomas L. Nins, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, and the Rev. Monsignor Frank C. Wissel, pastor at St. Mary Parish — both representing the Greenwich Fellowship of Clergy.

The ceremony also included a moving speech from U.S. Navy Capt. Mark Turner — a Greenwich native who Hughes introduced as a “Son of Greenwich, born and raised in town.”

“Please know that you are not alone,” Turner said to the victims’ families. “No one can ever replace that empty spot at the dinner table, that voice on the other end of the phone, or that hug that you’ve missed for the past 10 years.”

“What I hope for you today is that you can reclaim some purpose from what was and will always be a senseless act of violence and aggression, and remind us of the triumph born from this devastating tragedy,” Capt. Turner said. “Know that ten years ago when the towers came crashing down and the Pentagon was attacked and a plane hallowed the ground of Shanksville, that heroes rose.”

Turner, a high-ranking, heavily-decorated Naval officer who oversaw squadron combat operations in support of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, and as a surface warfare officer while onboard the carrier USS George Washington in support of operations Joint Endeavor and Southern Watch, spoke of “three sets of heroes” who emerged from the tragedy.

“First are the innocent civilians who lost their lives: In particular the 26 heroes from Greenwich, whose passing came too soon — their lives no longer measured in years but in purpose,” he said. “I’m sure they are looking down from Heaven today filled with pride, seeing all of us here, gathered, to honor them. Each one of them is now woven into the fabric of America — a bond that transcends time and distance. They’re woven into the fabric of the flags that fly on the Mianus Bridge, and those that stand eternally vigilant above every pillar of government and institution of learning across this great land. Their spirit can be found in the uniforms and badges of the first responders."

Addressing the young people in attendance, including the town’s Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts troops, Turner said, “Know that they are with you also. You will honor those lost with your future successes. You are, and always will be, the triumph of their tragedy.”

The second set of heroes, he said, “are those still mourning the loss of a loved one.”

“You did not get a chance to say goodbye — but please know your life was not just one of accidental fate,” he said. “To the contrary, you represent a steadiness of purpose that few will ever know. The courage and persistence that you have shown over the past 10 years is the strength of this town and the entire nation. In many ways you are the most powerful symbol in our current conflicts. Our adversaries had to know that we would fly new planes, and that we would rebuild the buildings they touched, but they failed to grasp the enduring resolve of the American spirit.”

“To those left behind, I’m not sure you can ever hear it enough — thank you for showing us the definition of grace and dignity,” Turner added. “You remain a beacon of hope for many. You have strengthened the fabric of this nation by the example you have set.”

Third are the first responders who valiantly came to the rescue of others that fateful day — many of whom lost their lives.

“For me, 9-11 was very personal,” Turner said. “It was the day I witnessed first-hand the worst man has to offer — followed by experiencing the greatness of this nation.”

Turner said he was in the Pentagon when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the building.

“I saw Flight 77 fly [into the building] two stories beneath me that day,” he said. “I too lost friends and co-workers. After being surrounded by fire upon impact, I watched helicopters medi-vac the wounded — and I experienced, firsthand, firefighters and coworkers rushing into the flames to rescue their comrades, their fellow Americans. I witnessed the Old Guard from Arlington National Cemetery, some just teenagers like you in the audience, telling me, and those who had been facing the flames for seven hours, ‘We will take it from here sir.’”

Turner said he continuously asks those in his charge “to remember one number — which today is 6,229. That’s how many men and women have paid the ultimate sacrifice in our current conflicts.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, freedom is not free,” he said. “Those lost 10 years ago are now woven into every uniform of every service member — and they are woven into the flags that drape the coffins of those who gave their full measure of devotion to a greater cause.”

He reminded the attendees to “not only mourn the tragedy of that day,” but to also “celebrate the triumph of this moment. May we, here today, be worthy of their legacy.”

At the closing of the ceremony, those in attendance were invited to lay flowers at a flag-draped, candlelit, commemorative display in front of the podium on the Town Hall steps. Hughes explained the significance of the two flags: The “Flag of Honor,” he said, has the names of all the victims of 9/11 on it, while the “Flag of Heroes” has only the names of the first responders who died in the attacks

After the last flower was laid, soft-spoken words and hugs were exchanged, tears flowed... and the crickets chirped on, as the light faded from the evening sky.