On 20th Anniversary Of 9/11, Toms River Honors Those Lost

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang. The bell rang again and again, four sets of five.

For 20 years, Toms River Fire Company 1 has run the station's bell as a reminder of the 343 firefighters who died trying to save lives during the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

"As our nation was under attack, what was most abundant on that day was the heroism and compassion of all the first responders," Fire Chief Christopher Vicidomini said. "Patriots from all walks of life responded with speed courage and humanity."

"Our nation was united and rallied together as one," he said, noting that many more first responders have died in the years since because of the rescue and cleanup efforts.

Toms River Mayor Maurice Hill saluted Welles Crowther, known primarily as the "red bandana guy," who saved many lives that day, and whose family only learned of his heroism as the stories slowly came out.

The ceremony also paid tribute to the 13 service members who were killed in Kabul, Afghanistan, in late August by ISIS bombers in the midst of the U.S. troop withdrawal.

Toms River has marked the anniversary annually, paying tribute to the men and women who lost their lives when planes slammed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and slammed into a field in Pennsylvania.

On Saturday, the message again urged people to remember the helpers, and to remember to love each other, in spite of individual differences.

Father Anthony Lipari said he was serving at a church in Nutley the day of the attacks, and remembers the anguish of a woman who lost her husband — and the callous response of another parishioner who seemed to not notice the enormity of what was happening.

Lipari urged those in attendance to be more loving and compassionate.

"We are united in love, and in knowing the power of love is far greater than any darkness that can ever be brought to us," he said. "We must leave this ceremony today promising ourselves and this community ... we must promise to be a better people."

Watch the full ceremony below.

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