On 18th Anniversary, A Village Pauses To Remember

Garden City firefighters held a remembrance ceremony at the Village’s 9/11 Memorial on the Village Green Wednesday to solemnly pause and remember the fallen on the 18th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The program paid tribute to those Garden City residents that perished during the attack on the World Trade Center, the 343 members of the New York Fire Department, 23 members of the New York Police Department and 37 members of the Port Authority Police Department killed, as well as those who have died of 9/11-related illnesses.

Deacon Paul Bedell, who offered the invocation and benediction, recited a prayer by Father Mychal Judge, chaplain of the New York City Fire Department who died on September 11, 2001.

Nearly two decades after the attacks, Chief Strysko hopes the Village’s memorial serves as a daily reminder. “The events of September 11, 2001 may be fading in the minds of many Americans but it’s memorial services such as this one that help remind us all to never forget,” Chief Strysko said. “Let this memorial provide all of us here in Garden City with a daily reminder to take nothing for granted, appreciate our freedoms, count our blessings, strive to help our fellow man and cherish our friends and families.”

On behalf of the Garden City community, Mayor Theresa Trouvé thanked Chief Strysko and members of the Garden City Fire Department for conducting such a touching ceremony. “We are grateful to our firefighters for providing this meditative ceremony year after year. They never fail to create a peaceful and reflective atmosphere where neighbors can show their support for the innocents who perished, for those who lost loved ones dear to them, and for those who lost their good health or life from illness as a result of this tragedy,” she said.

Fellow Board members as well as members of Garden City’s executive staff joined

Mayor Trouvé on the Village Green. A local Boy Scout troop also attended, as did local representatives.

A bell tolled after the reading of each of the 23 residents’ names, which are etched in the memorial monument stone on the Village Green. The playing of Taps, courtesy of Garden City High School sophomore Alex Barton, followed.