Burlington County Holds First Countywide 9/11 Remembrance

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in the cancellation of many events across the country, but local officials weren’t going to let the pandemic get in the way of honoring those whose lives were lost in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

For the first time, Burlington County officials hosted a countywide 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony on Friday. The 30-minute event marking the 19th anniversary of the attacks was held outside the County Emergency Services Training Center in Westampton.

Burlington County Freeholder Deputy Director Tom Pullion said the county opted to start the new tradition this year in order to honor the victims and remember the tragedy amid the country’s struggle against the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused many annual 9/11 services to be cancelled or held virtually. Pullion, who lead the service, said the county and nation still has a responsibility to remember the attacks and the lives that were lost.

“We have a responsibility to remember the victims and share with both current and future generations the raw emotions of that day. The confusion. The uncertainty. The fear, anger and sadness but also the selflessness and heroism shown as first responders rushed into the burning towers and Pentagon without a moment’s hesitation or how volunteers traveled miles away to Ground Zero to assist with the recovery effort. And most importantly, how such a horrible tragedy brought us together as one nation, blind to race, religion, status or political party. We became one national family, united in mourning but also in belief that together we can overcome whatever challenges we face,” Pullion said. “Today, with our country once again facing enormous challenges, we need that same unity, that same resolve and that same faith. We hope that today’s ceremony can help put us on that path.”

The ceremony also featured remarks from Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina, State Senator Troy Singleton (D-7), Rep. Andy Kim (D-3) and County Board member Dan O’Connell, who read the names and biographies of seven of the victims who lived in Burlington County or had strong ties to the county.

“This isn’t just a tragedy for our generation and those that were living 19 years ago. It is a tragedy for our country now and forever, and it is something that should always guide our nation going forward for generations to come,” Kim said. “So I’m glad we’re gathering here today and I hope we will continue to do this for as long as we’re alive. I hope we continue to do this for as long as we’re a nation, because that is what this moment is for us. It changed us forever, and we know it will make us stronger forever.”

Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina, who is the county’s highest ranking law enforcement official, said the ceremony marked his first time addressing a 9/11 service.

“Perhaps the worst day in our history was in some ways also our finest hour. First responders honored their calling by rushing towards danger in order to save others, while ordinary people, who took no oath, demonstrated their humanity by trying to help their co-workers and perfect strangers find their way out of the burning towers,” Coffina said. “As a nation we woke up on Sept. 12 truly unified. We could all benefit from finding that spirit again. It should not take such a traumatic event for us to do so.”

Singleton also called for residents to remember the selflessness of the police, fire and emergency service personnel who were willing to sacrifice their own lives in order to try to save “every life they could.”

“Nineteen years ago our country was transfixed and transformed. But out of that anguish and pain, there was a sense of unity in our country that pulled us forward,” Singleton said. “When we look at the conditions we have today … we should harken back to the selflessness that was demonstrated by those in public safety that day. Use their selflessness as not just a testament to their own personal character but a testament to what is truly the fabric of our country and what has strengthened our country through its darkest moments and carried us forward; it is the resolve that we are always stronger together and when we work together.”

Following the remarks and the reading of the names of the Burlington County victims, Sheriff Anthony Basantis placed a wreath at the base of the obelisk memorializing the county’s fallen emergency services members.

The sheriff was joined by Mount Laurel Police Chief Steve Riedener, Westampton Fire and EMS Chief Craig Farnsworth and Endeavor Emergency Squad Chief David Ekelburg.

The county honored the following victims of the attacks:

• Nicholas Bogdan, 34, of Pemberton Township, who worked as a computer operator for the Marsh & McLennan insurance brokerage on the 98th floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center.
• Pamela L. Gaff, 51, who was raised in Westampton and worked with insurance broker Aon Corp. on the 102nd floor of the south tower at the World Trade Center.
• Joan D. Griffith, 39, of Willingboro, who worked in the World Trade Center as an office manager and assistant vice president for Fiduciary Trust.
• LeRoy W. Homer Jr., 36, of Evesham, who was the first officer aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which had been hijacked by terrorists and diverted toward Washington, D.C., when it crashed in Shanksville, Pa.
• Gricelda James, 44, of Willingboro, who worked as an administrative assistant for International Office Centers. Her office was in the World Trade Center.
• Patrick J. Quigley IV, 40, who was a former resident of Willingboro and a graduate of John F. Kennedy High School. He was aboard the airliner that crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center.
• Kevin P. York, 41, who grew up in Pemberton Township and graduated from Pemberton Township High School and Burlington County College. He was a senior vice president for EuroBrokers Inc. and worked on the 84th floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center.