Retired FDNY Hero Rides Bike 120 Miles To Bring 9/11 Memorial Pool Water To North Fork Ceremony

NORTH FORK, NY — A large and somber crowd gathered to mark 25 years since 9/11 at the annual Southold Town Firefighters' Memorial and Remembrance Ceremony Friday.

The event was held at Jean Cochran Park on Peconic Lane in Peconic.

The proceedings began with remarks from Norm Reilly, Jr., president of the Southold Town Fire Chiefs Council.

"Tonight is different," he said. "September 11, 2001. 25 years. 
To some it feels like an entire lifetime. To those who watched the smoke rise, and the families who have carried the weight of the empty chair for 2,600 days, it feels like yesterday."

He added: "Look around this park tonight. 
You see 2,977 American flags. Each one represents a soul lost on a beautiful, clear Tuesday morning. Beneath our feet in Hero's Plaza, and right behind me stands the 'Morning Call' osprey sculpture, gripping a piece of steel from the 33rd floor of the World Trade Center. 
The steel is a permanent physical anchor to our promise that we will never forget."

The osprey sculpture has a rich history in Southold Town: James Miller, who died in June, 2020, donated the sculpture of the osprey that stands tall in tribute to the nation's heroes in Cochran Park, former Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said in past years.

"The sculpture will serve as a reminder to future generations of the horror and the heroism that we saw on that fateful day," Russell said.

Miller purchased the sculpture and donated it to Southold Town in honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11, Russell said. Next, the Southold Town Fire Chiefs Council, with the cooperation of the Town of Southold, built the Volunteer Firefighter's Memorial, which encircles the 9/11 memorial.

The memorial is constructed of beams originally used to build the 33rd floor of the World Trade Center, and features the wire osprey sculpture, originally created by artist Roberto Julio Bessin, sitting atop the beams, according to the Southold Fire Department.

The memorial consists of a sitting wall interspersed with columns identifying each Southold Town Fire Department; the names of the firefighters who lost their lives are engraved on a plaque.

In addition, public area between the 9/11 memorial and the sitting wall, "Hero's Plaza", is finished with brick pavers, honoring the citizen volunteers who died in service to the Southold community, Russell said.

In 2011, the welded bronze sculpture of the osprey, which originally was sited at the end of the docks in Greenport, took flight to its new home in Peconic.

Miller, of Calverton's Miller Environmental Group, was part of the team that created the memorial. He said his company was one of the contractors involved with remediation at Ground Zero and was able to acquire some of the fallen columns.

"I think Cochran Park is an outstanding location," Miller said in 2011. "It will get the visibility and respect it deserves there. When people see the twisted, distorted configuration of the metal, it's really overwhelming to think of the forces involved to do that."

Reilly looked out over the large crowd, including fire department members who stood "shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in law enforcement," as well as the volunteers, who, "to show their devotion," walk every year from the Greenport Fire Department to the 9/11 ceremony at Cochran Park, wearing full gear to mark the sacrifices of those who ran to Ground Zero on that dark day.

Back in 2018 on 9/11, when Dale Raynor and Bernie Purcell, 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 firefighters walk 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, at the time.

"A quarter century later, we do not just look back in grief. 
We look around in gratitude," Reilly said. "We honor the 343 FDNY firefighters, law enforcement, officers, and thousands of innocent civilians who perished. We also remember the survivors and the brave men and women who continue to face devastating health battles due to the toxic dust at Ground Zero. Time moves on, but our vow does not fade. To the generation born after 2001, we pass this torch remembrance. May they look at this steel, these flags, and this community — and understand the depth of sacrifice, resilience, and unity."

Cutchogue Fire Department Chaplain Tom Roslak led a prayer.

Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski also addressed those present.

"I'm glad people are here to remember this day. It's really encouraging to see the next generation brought here," he said. "This was a very impactful day in our country's history. And we have to keep remembering what happened that day and how it impacted us. . . We reflect every year on the events of 9/11, and it is still a terrible day after all these years."

First, Krupski spoke to the "incredibly bravery of the first responders. Anyone who will risk it all to try and save their fellow man needs to be valued and acknowledged. Thank you to all the firemen and police today for their commitment to training and action. You should never take any of that for granted."

Remembering 9/11, he said, "is very important for our country. 
This was a planned, well-funded, deliberate attack on democracy. This is not the first attack on our country. We need to be always prepared to defend our government and our way of life."

He continued: "Many of us have specific memories of that day and knew people who were there during the attacks. Their actions and bravery helping other people was really important. There are people here who went to Ground Zero after the attack to help clean up, rescue, and help with communications. This was an outstanding effort in that there was no certainty of their personal safety. They took great risks and put their lives on hold to help others."

In the world today, Krupski said, while "there are so many senseless acts of violence, the actions of so many on that day are shining examples of good — protecting our freedoms, preserving our way of life, and restoring hope to our communities in our country. We need to use moments like this to help to heal our country, to end the device of personal attacks, that divide us as Americans. We need to see this as an opportunity to work together, to listen to one another, and to teach the next generation of Americans what this country stands for"

Next, ex-FDNY firefighter Don Cotrone, who rode his bicycle 120 miles that morning to bring back a bottle of water from the 9/11 Memorial Reflecting Pool — the water was poured on the beams from the World Trade Center at the Peconic ceremony — spoke.

"25 years ago, I responded in the recovery," he said. "This reflecting pool water that I got at 7 o'clock this morning — and this steel came from the 33rd floor. And this water was in the spot that the steel was standing. Now, they are getting reunited, and I thank you for letting me do that."

Mattituck, Cutchogue, Southold, Greenport, East Marion, Orient, Plum Island, Fishers Island, and Shelter Island Fire Departments, as well as NYPD, gathered to pay respect and to lay a wreath, as in past years.,

Tracey Orlando, chairperson of the Southold Town 9/11 Committee, worked tirelessly to schedule the event and mark 25 years since the world changed forever.

Members of the committee, along with local Scouts, welcomed the public, she said.

"The 2,977 flags were available for the community to place in the park to commemorate each soul that was lost that day, 25 years ago," Orlando said.

The documentary, "Ripples," chronicling the experience of North Forkers on 9/11, can be watched by scanning the QR code above.