Never Forget: Stamford Marks 22nd Anniversary Of 9/11

STAMFORD, CT — On Monday morning, the Stamford community gathered in Jackie Robinson Park to mark the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The ceremony featured several speakers, a performance of the National Anthem, a ceremonial wreath-laying, and moments of silence for all those who died that day.

"Today, we commemorate and remember the nearly 3,000 lives that were tragically taken and we hold the families and loved ones of the victims in our hearts today and always. Today, we also pay tribute to the heroism of our first responders who risked their lives not only on that fateful day but who risk their lives every day to keep us safe," said Mayor Caroline Simmons.

Simmons also thanked the men and women in uniform who answered the call to serve the country after 9/11, and the many volunteers who signed up to give blood or work at Ground Zero in the days and weeks after the tragedy.

"Let us recommit ourselves to that task of putting service above self, of giving back to our community, and of renewing that love for one another and that love for country that binds us all," Simmons added.

Stamford Police Chief Timothy Shaw spoke briefly while wearing a New York City Police Department cap.

"I look back and realize what an impact [9/11] had on the men and women of our department. I realize that we were very fortunate to be so close to the city and volunteer," Shaw said, noting that the SPD sent buses of volunteers down to Ground Zero.

"It touched everyone that day. It continues to touch us. What I remember every year, especially when I put this hat on, is at the end of every one of these events, [people say] 'Never Forget.' What I ask you to do is to never forget, and don't just wait for 9/11. Be the person you are, give a helping hand, be resilient. I think that's what Stamford is," Shaw said.

The events of 22 years ago changed everyone, said Lt. Jerry Junes of the SPD.

"It made us all reflect on our obligation, duty, and responsibility to defend, preserve, and protect what's called the American Democracy," Junes said. "Today, we remember those lives that were lost. Today, we pay tribute to the American story. Today we hear the voices that went silent. Today we share the sorrow of those families affected by this tragedy. Today, let's reflect on the worst day that brought out the best in all of us."

Guy Fortt, A Stamford resident and veteran of the Greenwich Fire Department, recalled hopping on a train to lower Manhattan to volunteer with search and rescue efforts.

He remembered seeing a "sea of metal, sea of rebar, and a sea of concrete," and he recalled the cacophony of Personal Alert Safety System (PASS) device sirens. The devices are activated when a firefighter doesn't move for a certain period of time.

"I've never been in war, but that was war," he said.

Fortt urged those in attendance to continue to give back.

"We've got to continue to help one another. We've got to continue to be there for one another as much as possible," he said.

Stamford resident Thomas Patterson shared a story of working in the Bronx for Metro-North on 9/11 and seeing the Twin Towers on fire. He recounted how he found out a few days later that a former coworker, Stephen Driscoll, had died in the attacks. Driscoll had worked for the railroad but left to join the NYPD.

"In the military, there's something we all say. When you take that oath and you swear and you join and put that uniform on, you write a blank check up to one's life," said Patterson, a Gulf War era veteran and U.S. Army specialist. "I believe every last person on that day, civilian as well as emergency personnel, wrote that blank check for all of us that day."

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Kenny Green, of the Jackie Robinson Park of Fame, gave the audience something to think about.

"When I look up the word sacrifice, a sacrifice is an act of giving something up in the sake of something else that's deemed more important. Think about those first responders that ran in. What was more important that made them run into the buildings? I like to believe that was all of us. They thought of each and every one of us as Americans as more important. They were willing to lay down their lives. "What are we willing to lay down for each other?" Green asked.

"There's something in our lives each of us can do. We each have an assignment. Let's think about how we can honor our assignment for those who laid down their lives for us."

Stamford was also scheduled to hold another 9/11 remembrance ceremony Monday night at the Woodside Firehouse.