New Burlington 9/11 Memorial Will Honor First Responders

BURLINGTON, MA — Burlington officials will hold a service this weekend to dedicate a memorial to the first responders that lost their lives in the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attack. The service, which begins at 9:30 am on the Town Common, will include the dedication of two rails that were removed from beneath the World Trade Center site and presented to the Burlington Police and Fire Departments last year.

Selectman Bob Hogan said the rails are two of the last artifacts to be released by the New York/New Jersey Port Authority, meaning Burlington's memorial may be one of the last 9/11 tributes to incorporate articats from the authority's archives. Hogan traveled to New York last year with Burlington firefighter Ed McLean and Burlington Police Deputy Chief Mike Patterson to receive the rails. Each rail, Hogan said, is 14-feet long and weighs more than 700 pounds. Subscribe to Burlington Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.

Hogan said Sunday's dedication will not only pay tribute to the 343 firefighters and 50 police officers that died on the day of the attacks, but those who succumbed to diseases caused by exposure to pollutants in the years following Sept. 11. A portion of the dedication will be used to remember Burlington native Gregory MacDonald, who died while serving in Iraq in 2003.

Photo by Dave Copeland.