Firefighters Walk To Remember The Fallen On 9/11

GREENPORT, NY — Once again, in a heartfelt tribute to the fallen, firefighters will walk from Greenport Fire Department Station 1 to the 9/11 memorial service at Cochran Park in Peconic Friday.

This year, firefighters Dale Raynor and Bernie Purcell will be joined by several other Greenport firefighers for the annual event, all of whom will make the walk in full gear. They will leave the Third Street Firehouse in Greenport at 1 p.m. to set out for the hike, which covers more than six miles and takes more than three hours, to honor those lives lost 19 years ago.

They will head to the "Remember 9/11" service, organized by the Southold 9/11 Committee and the Southold Town Fire Chiefs Council; the event will be held at Jean Cochran Park on Peconic Lane in Peconic on Friday, beginning at 5:15 p.m.

All New York State coronavirus protocols, including masks and social distancing, will be mandatory at all times.

At 5:15, those in attendance are encouraged to come place a flag in remembrance of lives lost; there will be 2,977 flags available at the park in memory of "souls lost that day," organizers said.

At 6:15 p.m., Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell will make opening remarks. A special ceremony presented by the Division 8, Southold Town Fire Department, will follow at 6:30 p.m., with a closing at 7 p.m.

Back in 2018 on 9/11, when the two Greenport firefighters set out, their faces lined with grief and memories, to walk to a memorial service and honor the fallen, they spoke with Patch about their journey.

With each step, they carried the collective heartbreak of a nation mourning after the dark day that ripped the fabric of life in the United States forever. Their journey symbolized the long road of pain that so many families who lost loved ones on 9/11 have walked, all the while honoring the heroes who ran up into burning buildings — showing the fiercest of courage in the face of the worst tragedy and act of terrorism the nation had ever known.

Their stride steady and strong, the two firefighters walked intently ahead, focusing on a mission of remembrance and respect. When asked why they'd chosen to set out on their heartfelt journey, Raynor said simply, "It's 9/11."

"We'e doing this for our brothers that died on 9/11," Raynor said.