West Haven Observing 9/11 With Flag-Raising, Candlelight Vigil

Written by Michael P. Walsh

WEST HAVEN, CT — West Haven will observe the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on 9/11 with a flag-raising ceremony at 6:30 p.m. at the Bradley Point Park flagpole, followed by a candlelight vigil at the city’s 9/11 memorial.

The solemn service will begin with a presentation of the colors by the West Haven Police Honor Guard and the flag-raising by the West Haven Fire Department Honor Guard and the New Haven County Firefighters Emerald Society Pipes & Drums.

The flag-raising will honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 people who died in the attacks. Remarks by dignitaries, including Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, will follow.

Louis P. Esposito Jr., Rossi’s executive assistant, will serve as the master of ceremonies, and West Haven High School senior Madelyn Roche will sing the national anthem and “God Bless America.”

At 7 p.m., the candlelight vigil will take place at the Richard S. Gabrielle Sept. 11 Memorial on the boardwalk next to the former Savin Rock Conference Center, 6 Rock St.

Members of the West Haven Rotary Club will distribute candles and programs at the granite monument, which was paid for by the service club in 2002. It was designed by Harold J. Schaller of H.K. Peacock Memorials Inc. in Valhalla, New York.

Gabrielle, 50, of West Haven, was killed during the attack on the twin towers in New York’s World Trade Center complex. An insurance broker at Aon Corp., he was last seen on the south tower’s 78th floor.

Declared Patriot Day by Congress in 2002, the city will fly flags at half-staff in recognition of the national day of remembrance.

The vigil will feature taps played by retired West Shore Fire Department Lt. Kevin McKeon and Celtic folk performances by Irish singer-songwriter Liz McNicholl, including “The Bravest,” a tribute to the heroes of 9/11.

The sun rises over Savin Rock in West Haven on Sept. 11, 2021, as hundreds of American flags blow in the wind near the boardwalk on Long Island Sound. The flags represent the 343 New York City firefighters who died in the line of duty on Sept. 11, 2001, as well as the 257 active and retired FDNY members who have died of 9/11-related illnesses, including cancer. (Contributed Photo/Andrew Sacco)

This press release was produced by the City of West Haven. The views expressed here are the author’s own.