Farmingdale Remembers is the Summit's annual observance commemorating the tragic events of September 11, 2001. It is held each year at the 9/11 Memorial at the Farmingdale Public Library located at 116 Merritts Road in Farmingdale.
The Summit urges all residents of the community to participate in the brief ceremony to honor and remember those who perished, to pay tribute to those who served so unselfishly in the recovery operation, and to show our continued support for all those who were affected by the events of 9/11/01.
The Summit urges all residents of the community to participate in the brief ceremony to honor and remember those who perished, to pay tribute to those who served so unselfishly in the recovery operation, and to show our continued support for all those who were affected by the events of 9/11/01.
Due to concerns about Covid-19 Farmingdale Community Summit's 9-11 ceremony was live-streamed in 2020. A recording of the ceremony can be viewed here. A transcript of the service is below:
Farmingdale Remembers, September 11, 2020 Address:
GOOD EVENING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN AND ALL OF YOU AT HOME. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US HERE TONIGHT AS WE REMEMBER THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11TH 2001, 19 YEARS AGO TODAY. EACH YEAR THE FARMINGDALE COMMUNITY SUMMIT SETS ASIDE THIS TIME TO REMEMBER THOSE WE LOST AND COMMEMORATE THEIR LIVES AND HONOR THEIR LOVED ONES. EVEN IN THIS ELECTRONIC WORLD AND VIRTUAL REALITY WE NEED TO REMEMBER THE TRAGIC EVENTS OF 9-11 WHICH TOOK THE PRECIOUS LIVES OF ALMOST 3000 PEOPLE AND HAS SINCE SURPASSED A TOTAL OF 5000.
THEY WERE INNOCENT VICTIMS OF THE TERRORIST ATTACKS ON THE TWIN TOWERS WHERE THEY HAPPENED TO WORK OR WERE VISITING THAT FATEFUL MORNING. SOME WERE AT THE PENTAGON OR WERE PASSENGERS ON THE ILL FATED PLANES INCLUDING FLIGHT 93 WHERE THEY REFUSED TO GO DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT AND CRASHED IN PENNSYLVANIA. TODAY PARTICULARLY WE CELEBRATE THE LIVES OF ALL THOSE WHO RESPONDED TO THE CALL FOR HELP AND PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE IN THEIR EFFORTS.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON’T KNOW ME MY NAME IS MARK WENZEL AND I AM THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF YES COMMUNITY COUNSELING CENTER AND CHAIR PERSON OF THE SUMMIT REMEMBERS COMMITTEE. I STAND BEFORE YOU WITH THE HONOR OF ADDRESSING YOU ON THIS SOLEMN OCCASION AS WELL AS THE CHALLENGE OF MAKING THIS COMMEMORATION RELEVANT IN TODAY'S WORLD. NO EASY TASK WITH ALL THAT IS GOING ON HERE IN 2020… I HAVE ALREADY HEARD SEVERAL TIMES PEOPLE WHO HAVE SAID THEY CANT WAIT FOR THIS YEAR TO BE OVER. BETWEEN THE PANDEMIC, THE RACIAL TENSIONS AND PROTESTS, THE HURRICANES AND WILDFIRES, THIS YEAR HAS ALREADY BEEN A YEAR UNLIKE ANY OTHER. CERTAINLY THE PANDEMIC HAS CHANGED ALL OF OUR LIVES IN SO MANY WAYS AS WE STRUGGLE AS A SOCIETY TO ADAPT TO AN UNSEEN ENEMY THAT HAS CLAIMED THOUSANDS OF LIVES AND ALTERED OUR EVERYDAY EXISTENCE. BUT AT THE RISK OF GOING TOO FAR ASTRAY FROM THE REASON WE ARE HERE I ASK YOU TO PUT THESE EVENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE HEROISM DISPLAYED ON 9-11 AND THE DAYS AND MONTHS THEREAFTER.
I BELIEVE THE ROADMAP THAT WE NEED TO FOLLOW TO DEAL WITH THESE CHALLENGES IS ALREADY THERE AND LAID OUT FOR US. THE FIRST RESPONDERS WHO ANSWERED THE CALL ON 9-11 DID SO KNOWING THE POSSIBLE DANGERS, ANYONE LOOKING UP AT THOSE TOWERS ENGULFED IN FLAMES COULD UNDERSTAND THE PRECARIOUS SITUATION AND YET THEY WENT INTO THE BUILDINGS TO HELP OTHERS. THEY PUT THEMSELVES IN HARMS WAY AND WERE WILLING TO MAKE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE. AND WITH ALL DUE RESPECT FOR THE TREMENDOUS LOSS TO THEIR FAMILIES, WHAT A MAGNIFICENT LEGACY! AND FOR ALL THOSE WHO WERE THERE IN THE AFTERMATH WHO TOILED IN THE RECOVERY EFFORTS, THEY TOO DID SO EVEN AT THE RISK OF THEIR OWN PERSONAL SAFETY. THIS YEAR, SADLY, WE ADD ANOTHER NAME TO OUR LIST OF FALLEN HERE IN FARMINGDALE AS WE RECENTLY HEARD MICHAEL KENDRICK PASSED BECAUSE OF ILLNESS FROM HAVING WORKED ON “THE PILE” AT GROUND ZERO. MICHAEL KENDRICK WAS AN IRON WORKER AND PART OF THE BUCKET BRIGADE WHO HELPED CLEAR THE DEBRIS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING 9/11. MICHAEL PASSED AWAY IN 2006 AT THE AGE OF 58. HE IS SURVIVED BY HIS WIFE KELLY AND 3 CHILDREN: ALICE, LINDSEY AND MICHAEL. HE WAS ALSO A VETERAN OF THE MARINE CORPS.
ALL OF THESE MEN AND WOMEN WE HONOR TODAY GAVE THEIR ALL ON 9-11, MOST OF THEM IN SERVICE OF OTHERS. THIS IS THE LEGACY THAT WE SHOULD TAKE AWAY FROM THE TRAGEDY THAT UNFOLDED THIS DAY 19 YEARS AGO.
SO HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO THE CHALLENGES WE FACE TODAY, THE UNSEEN ENEMY OF THE VIRUS, THE RACIAL DISPARITIES AND UNREST, THE POLITICAL DIVIDE AND THE WRATH OF MOTHER NATURE. MORE THAN EVER WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO GET OUTSIDE OF OURSELVES AND BECOME MORE SOCIALLY AWARE OF THOSE ALL AROUND US! AND MAKE NO MISTAKE, THAT BECOMES ALL THE MORE DIFFICULT WHEN AS INDIVIDUALS WE ARE CONFRONTED WITH OUR OWN CONCERNS ABOUT SAFETY, SECURITY, FINANCIAL AND EMOTIONAL STABILITY. THINK BACK TO THE CHALLENGES FACING OUR FIRST RESPONDERS AND THE FACT THAT THEY FOUND THE COURAGE AND DETERMINATION TO OVERCOME AND GO FORWARD IN SERVICE TO OTHERS. THE EMTS, FIRE FIGHTERS, POLICE, AND SO MANY MORE. RECENTLY I HEARD ABOUT THE BOAT BRIGADE, THE NUMEROUS PEOPLE WHO WERE BOATERS ON THE MORNING OF 9-11 AND WHO RESPONDED TO THE CALL FROM THE COAST GUARD TO HELP EVACUATE LOWER MANHATTAN AND WHO FERRIED APPROXIMATELY 500,000 PEOPLE FROM MANHATTAN. THESE WERE EVERYDAY PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND ME WHO WENT TOWARD THE DANGER, THE CLOUD OF DUST FROM THE TOWERS AND THE SMOKING INFERNO, TO HELP OTHERS WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING ALL THE DANGERS… THIS IS THE LEGACY OF 9-11 AND HOW IT SHOULD BE REMEMBERED!
SO WE TAKE THAT SPIRIT OF ALTRUISM AND SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS AND FIND IT IN THE CONTEXT OF MORE RECENT EVENTS. WE HAVE THE EXAMPLE OF THE HEALTHCARE WORKERS WHO REPONDED TO THE PANDEMIC BEFORE WE KNEW MUCH ABOUT IT. THEY PERSISTED THROUGH LONG SHIFTS AND MADE PERSONAL SACRIFICES FOR THE GREATER GOOD ISOLATING FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS. SOME OF THEM CAUGHT THE VIRUS AND DIED IN THEIR EFFORTS. THINK ABOUT GOING FOR WEEKS ON END WITHOUT A CHANCE FOR PERSONAL CONTACT, A HUG, A HANDSHAKE, A KISS FROM A LOVED ONE. WE ARE ALL MISSING SOME OF THESE THINGS. BUT FOR THE HEALTHCARE WORKERS THIS ISOLATION WAS LIFE AND DEATH. THIS PANDEMIC HAS GIVEN US A NEW PERSPECTIVE TOWARD ALL THOSE WHO ARE “ESSENTIAL WORKERS” AND TO NAME A FEW WOULD BE TO TAKE A CHANCE ON MISSING SOME: TRANSPORTATION WORKERS, FOOD DELIVERY, POSTAL WORKERS, FIRST RESPONDERS, POLICE, AND FIRE MEN AND WOMEN, SANITATION WORKERS, AND LETS NOT FORGET, ESPECIALLY THIS WEEK, OUR EDUCATORS, SCHOOL PERSONNEL, MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS AND SOCIAL WORKERS!! FOR THOSE I DID NOT MENTION, MY APOLOGIES! WE HAVE COME TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE PEOPLE ARE ALL ESSENTIAL TO OUR WELL BEING AND THE VIRUS HAS MADE EACH OF THESE JOBS VERY COMPLICATED AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS.
BUT IT IS THE LITTLE GESTURES WE SEE EVERYDAY THAT GIVES ME HOPE. IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE RECENT STORM I DROVE DOWN A STRETCH OF RESIDENTIAL ROADWAY WITH PERHAPS A DOZEN EXTENSION CORDS STRETCHED ACROSS THE STREET, TAPED DOWN TO ALLOW THOSE WITH POWER TO SHARE WITH THOSE WHO DID NOT. THE YOUNG PERSON SETTING UP A FOOD EXCHANGE OR FOOD PANTRY OR POSTAL WORKER DELIVERING MAIL AND GROCERIES TO THOSE WHO CAN NOT SAFELY GET OUT OF THEIR HOUSE. THESE ARE MARVELOUS EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE ABLE TO GET OUTSIDE OF THEMSELVES AND SHOW US THE WAY TO DO WHAT THEY CAN FOR NEIGHBORS AND STRANGERS! I AM SURE YOU TOO CAN IDENTIFY SIMILAR ACTS OF KINDNESS IF YOU LOOK FOR THEM!
SO OUR LIVES HAVE BEEN TURNED UPSIDE DOWN BUT IT IS IN THE FACE OF THIS ADVERSITY THAT OUR CHARACTER AS INDIVIDUALS, AS THE DALER COMMUNITY, AND AS A COUNTRY WILL TRULY SHINE. TOGETHER WE CAN FIND THE COMMON GROUND AND WORK TOWARD THE GREATER GOOD FOR ALL OF US AND IN DOING SO WE WILL FIND OUR OWN REWARD OF A SAFER, MORE STABLE, AND PREDICTABLE LIFESTYLE, OUR NEW NORMAL! THE ROADMAP IS THERE, IT MAY NOT BE AN EASY PATH BUT IF WE ALL COMMIT TO FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLES GIVEN TO US, WE WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!
ON BEHALF OF THE COMMUNITY SUMMIT I WANT TO EXPRESS HOW GRATEFUL WE ARE FOR ALL THOSE WHO HAVE MADE THIS EVENING POSSIBLE AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE HERE. I AM ALSO STRUCK BY THE FACT THAT THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO RECORDED THE SINGING OF OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM AS WELL AS ALL THOSE CURRENTLY IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM WERE NOT EVEN BORN 19 YEARS AGO AND THEY ARE ONLY LEARNING ABOUT 9-11 THROUGH HISTORY BOOKS AND FAMILY GATHERINGS AND EVENTS LIKE THIS. WE THANK THEM FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THIS EVENING AND GRATEFUL TO THEIR TEACHER DANIELLE TUCKER, WHO, WITH 3 GRADUATING SENIORS, PUT TOGETHER OUR SONGS FOR THIS EVENING. WHO WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT SINGING COULD BE A HAZARDOUS ACTIVITY?
BUT, THE WAY THE COUNTRY UNIFIED IN OUR DEFIANCE AND RESOLVE AFTER 9-11 AND THE EFFORTS MADE IN OUR RECOVERY SPEAKS TO THE SOUL OF OUR COUNTRY, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ONE NATION, INDIVISIBLE! THIS IS WHAT WE STAND FOR AND IS AT THE CORE OF WHO WE ARE… AND TODAY AND EVERY DAY I WOULD ASK YOU ALL AS DALERS TO KEEP IN THE FOREFRONT OF YOUR MIND OUR SOLIDARITY AND THE THINGS WE HAVE IN COMMON RATHER THAN OUR DIFFERENCES. THE TIES THAT BIND US TOGETHER ARE MUCH STRONGER THAT THE LINES THAT KEEP US APART! CELEBRATE EACH DAY AND SHARE IT WITH THOSE YOU LOVE!
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN COMING HERE FOR SEVERAL YEARS YOU MAY RECALL I SHARED AN INSCRIPTION FROM A STATUE AT FORT HAMILTON IN BROOKLYN THAT SAYS: “TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND EVERLASTING REMEMBRANCE, THE DOVER PATROL, 1914-1919, THEY DIED THAT WE MIGHT LIVE, MAY WE BE WORTHY OF THEIR SACRIFICE” AN INSCRIPTION WRITTEN AFTER WWI 100 YEARS AGO AND STILL WORDS TO LIVE BY… THE VERY SAME COULD BE SAID FOR OUR FIRST RESPONDERS AND THEIR LASTING LEGACY! MAY WE BE WORTHY OF THEIR SACRIFICE…
9-11 HAD ITS VICTIMS AND WE MOURN EACH AND EVERY ONE, BUT IT ALSO HAD ITS HEROES AND WE CONTINUE TO CELEBRATE THEIR LIVES AS LONG AS THEY ARE WITH US AND LONG AFTER THEY ARE GONE…THE MEN AND WOMEN STOOD SHOULDER TO SHOULDER IN DEFIANCE AND SOLIDARITY… WE SALUTE ALL THOSE WHO WENT TOWARD THE TOWERS AND THE PEOPLE IN NEED. OUR FIRST REPONDERS MAKE IT THEIR LIFELONG PURSUIT TO HELP OTHERS AND WE ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR COMMITMENT AND COURAGE JUST AS WE HONOR THE LIVES OF THOSE LOST 19 YEARS AGO ON SEPT 11 2001:
GOOD EVENING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN AND ALL OF YOU AT HOME. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US HERE TONIGHT AS WE REMEMBER THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11TH 2001, 19 YEARS AGO TODAY. EACH YEAR THE FARMINGDALE COMMUNITY SUMMIT SETS ASIDE THIS TIME TO REMEMBER THOSE WE LOST AND COMMEMORATE THEIR LIVES AND HONOR THEIR LOVED ONES. EVEN IN THIS ELECTRONIC WORLD AND VIRTUAL REALITY WE NEED TO REMEMBER THE TRAGIC EVENTS OF 9-11 WHICH TOOK THE PRECIOUS LIVES OF ALMOST 3000 PEOPLE AND HAS SINCE SURPASSED A TOTAL OF 5000.
THEY WERE INNOCENT VICTIMS OF THE TERRORIST ATTACKS ON THE TWIN TOWERS WHERE THEY HAPPENED TO WORK OR WERE VISITING THAT FATEFUL MORNING. SOME WERE AT THE PENTAGON OR WERE PASSENGERS ON THE ILL FATED PLANES INCLUDING FLIGHT 93 WHERE THEY REFUSED TO GO DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT AND CRASHED IN PENNSYLVANIA. TODAY PARTICULARLY WE CELEBRATE THE LIVES OF ALL THOSE WHO RESPONDED TO THE CALL FOR HELP AND PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE IN THEIR EFFORTS.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON’T KNOW ME MY NAME IS MARK WENZEL AND I AM THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF YES COMMUNITY COUNSELING CENTER AND CHAIR PERSON OF THE SUMMIT REMEMBERS COMMITTEE. I STAND BEFORE YOU WITH THE HONOR OF ADDRESSING YOU ON THIS SOLEMN OCCASION AS WELL AS THE CHALLENGE OF MAKING THIS COMMEMORATION RELEVANT IN TODAY'S WORLD. NO EASY TASK WITH ALL THAT IS GOING ON HERE IN 2020… I HAVE ALREADY HEARD SEVERAL TIMES PEOPLE WHO HAVE SAID THEY CANT WAIT FOR THIS YEAR TO BE OVER. BETWEEN THE PANDEMIC, THE RACIAL TENSIONS AND PROTESTS, THE HURRICANES AND WILDFIRES, THIS YEAR HAS ALREADY BEEN A YEAR UNLIKE ANY OTHER. CERTAINLY THE PANDEMIC HAS CHANGED ALL OF OUR LIVES IN SO MANY WAYS AS WE STRUGGLE AS A SOCIETY TO ADAPT TO AN UNSEEN ENEMY THAT HAS CLAIMED THOUSANDS OF LIVES AND ALTERED OUR EVERYDAY EXISTENCE. BUT AT THE RISK OF GOING TOO FAR ASTRAY FROM THE REASON WE ARE HERE I ASK YOU TO PUT THESE EVENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE HEROISM DISPLAYED ON 9-11 AND THE DAYS AND MONTHS THEREAFTER.
I BELIEVE THE ROADMAP THAT WE NEED TO FOLLOW TO DEAL WITH THESE CHALLENGES IS ALREADY THERE AND LAID OUT FOR US. THE FIRST RESPONDERS WHO ANSWERED THE CALL ON 9-11 DID SO KNOWING THE POSSIBLE DANGERS, ANYONE LOOKING UP AT THOSE TOWERS ENGULFED IN FLAMES COULD UNDERSTAND THE PRECARIOUS SITUATION AND YET THEY WENT INTO THE BUILDINGS TO HELP OTHERS. THEY PUT THEMSELVES IN HARMS WAY AND WERE WILLING TO MAKE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE. AND WITH ALL DUE RESPECT FOR THE TREMENDOUS LOSS TO THEIR FAMILIES, WHAT A MAGNIFICENT LEGACY! AND FOR ALL THOSE WHO WERE THERE IN THE AFTERMATH WHO TOILED IN THE RECOVERY EFFORTS, THEY TOO DID SO EVEN AT THE RISK OF THEIR OWN PERSONAL SAFETY. THIS YEAR, SADLY, WE ADD ANOTHER NAME TO OUR LIST OF FALLEN HERE IN FARMINGDALE AS WE RECENTLY HEARD MICHAEL KENDRICK PASSED BECAUSE OF ILLNESS FROM HAVING WORKED ON “THE PILE” AT GROUND ZERO. MICHAEL KENDRICK WAS AN IRON WORKER AND PART OF THE BUCKET BRIGADE WHO HELPED CLEAR THE DEBRIS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING 9/11. MICHAEL PASSED AWAY IN 2006 AT THE AGE OF 58. HE IS SURVIVED BY HIS WIFE KELLY AND 3 CHILDREN: ALICE, LINDSEY AND MICHAEL. HE WAS ALSO A VETERAN OF THE MARINE CORPS.
ALL OF THESE MEN AND WOMEN WE HONOR TODAY GAVE THEIR ALL ON 9-11, MOST OF THEM IN SERVICE OF OTHERS. THIS IS THE LEGACY THAT WE SHOULD TAKE AWAY FROM THE TRAGEDY THAT UNFOLDED THIS DAY 19 YEARS AGO.
SO HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO THE CHALLENGES WE FACE TODAY, THE UNSEEN ENEMY OF THE VIRUS, THE RACIAL DISPARITIES AND UNREST, THE POLITICAL DIVIDE AND THE WRATH OF MOTHER NATURE. MORE THAN EVER WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO GET OUTSIDE OF OURSELVES AND BECOME MORE SOCIALLY AWARE OF THOSE ALL AROUND US! AND MAKE NO MISTAKE, THAT BECOMES ALL THE MORE DIFFICULT WHEN AS INDIVIDUALS WE ARE CONFRONTED WITH OUR OWN CONCERNS ABOUT SAFETY, SECURITY, FINANCIAL AND EMOTIONAL STABILITY. THINK BACK TO THE CHALLENGES FACING OUR FIRST RESPONDERS AND THE FACT THAT THEY FOUND THE COURAGE AND DETERMINATION TO OVERCOME AND GO FORWARD IN SERVICE TO OTHERS. THE EMTS, FIRE FIGHTERS, POLICE, AND SO MANY MORE. RECENTLY I HEARD ABOUT THE BOAT BRIGADE, THE NUMEROUS PEOPLE WHO WERE BOATERS ON THE MORNING OF 9-11 AND WHO RESPONDED TO THE CALL FROM THE COAST GUARD TO HELP EVACUATE LOWER MANHATTAN AND WHO FERRIED APPROXIMATELY 500,000 PEOPLE FROM MANHATTAN. THESE WERE EVERYDAY PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND ME WHO WENT TOWARD THE DANGER, THE CLOUD OF DUST FROM THE TOWERS AND THE SMOKING INFERNO, TO HELP OTHERS WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING ALL THE DANGERS… THIS IS THE LEGACY OF 9-11 AND HOW IT SHOULD BE REMEMBERED!
SO WE TAKE THAT SPIRIT OF ALTRUISM AND SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS AND FIND IT IN THE CONTEXT OF MORE RECENT EVENTS. WE HAVE THE EXAMPLE OF THE HEALTHCARE WORKERS WHO REPONDED TO THE PANDEMIC BEFORE WE KNEW MUCH ABOUT IT. THEY PERSISTED THROUGH LONG SHIFTS AND MADE PERSONAL SACRIFICES FOR THE GREATER GOOD ISOLATING FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS. SOME OF THEM CAUGHT THE VIRUS AND DIED IN THEIR EFFORTS. THINK ABOUT GOING FOR WEEKS ON END WITHOUT A CHANCE FOR PERSONAL CONTACT, A HUG, A HANDSHAKE, A KISS FROM A LOVED ONE. WE ARE ALL MISSING SOME OF THESE THINGS. BUT FOR THE HEALTHCARE WORKERS THIS ISOLATION WAS LIFE AND DEATH. THIS PANDEMIC HAS GIVEN US A NEW PERSPECTIVE TOWARD ALL THOSE WHO ARE “ESSENTIAL WORKERS” AND TO NAME A FEW WOULD BE TO TAKE A CHANCE ON MISSING SOME: TRANSPORTATION WORKERS, FOOD DELIVERY, POSTAL WORKERS, FIRST RESPONDERS, POLICE, AND FIRE MEN AND WOMEN, SANITATION WORKERS, AND LETS NOT FORGET, ESPECIALLY THIS WEEK, OUR EDUCATORS, SCHOOL PERSONNEL, MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS AND SOCIAL WORKERS!! FOR THOSE I DID NOT MENTION, MY APOLOGIES! WE HAVE COME TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE PEOPLE ARE ALL ESSENTIAL TO OUR WELL BEING AND THE VIRUS HAS MADE EACH OF THESE JOBS VERY COMPLICATED AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS.
BUT IT IS THE LITTLE GESTURES WE SEE EVERYDAY THAT GIVES ME HOPE. IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE RECENT STORM I DROVE DOWN A STRETCH OF RESIDENTIAL ROADWAY WITH PERHAPS A DOZEN EXTENSION CORDS STRETCHED ACROSS THE STREET, TAPED DOWN TO ALLOW THOSE WITH POWER TO SHARE WITH THOSE WHO DID NOT. THE YOUNG PERSON SETTING UP A FOOD EXCHANGE OR FOOD PANTRY OR POSTAL WORKER DELIVERING MAIL AND GROCERIES TO THOSE WHO CAN NOT SAFELY GET OUT OF THEIR HOUSE. THESE ARE MARVELOUS EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE ABLE TO GET OUTSIDE OF THEMSELVES AND SHOW US THE WAY TO DO WHAT THEY CAN FOR NEIGHBORS AND STRANGERS! I AM SURE YOU TOO CAN IDENTIFY SIMILAR ACTS OF KINDNESS IF YOU LOOK FOR THEM!
SO OUR LIVES HAVE BEEN TURNED UPSIDE DOWN BUT IT IS IN THE FACE OF THIS ADVERSITY THAT OUR CHARACTER AS INDIVIDUALS, AS THE DALER COMMUNITY, AND AS A COUNTRY WILL TRULY SHINE. TOGETHER WE CAN FIND THE COMMON GROUND AND WORK TOWARD THE GREATER GOOD FOR ALL OF US AND IN DOING SO WE WILL FIND OUR OWN REWARD OF A SAFER, MORE STABLE, AND PREDICTABLE LIFESTYLE, OUR NEW NORMAL! THE ROADMAP IS THERE, IT MAY NOT BE AN EASY PATH BUT IF WE ALL COMMIT TO FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLES GIVEN TO US, WE WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!
ON BEHALF OF THE COMMUNITY SUMMIT I WANT TO EXPRESS HOW GRATEFUL WE ARE FOR ALL THOSE WHO HAVE MADE THIS EVENING POSSIBLE AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE HERE. I AM ALSO STRUCK BY THE FACT THAT THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO RECORDED THE SINGING OF OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM AS WELL AS ALL THOSE CURRENTLY IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM WERE NOT EVEN BORN 19 YEARS AGO AND THEY ARE ONLY LEARNING ABOUT 9-11 THROUGH HISTORY BOOKS AND FAMILY GATHERINGS AND EVENTS LIKE THIS. WE THANK THEM FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THIS EVENING AND GRATEFUL TO THEIR TEACHER DANIELLE TUCKER, WHO, WITH 3 GRADUATING SENIORS, PUT TOGETHER OUR SONGS FOR THIS EVENING. WHO WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT SINGING COULD BE A HAZARDOUS ACTIVITY?
BUT, THE WAY THE COUNTRY UNIFIED IN OUR DEFIANCE AND RESOLVE AFTER 9-11 AND THE EFFORTS MADE IN OUR RECOVERY SPEAKS TO THE SOUL OF OUR COUNTRY, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ONE NATION, INDIVISIBLE! THIS IS WHAT WE STAND FOR AND IS AT THE CORE OF WHO WE ARE… AND TODAY AND EVERY DAY I WOULD ASK YOU ALL AS DALERS TO KEEP IN THE FOREFRONT OF YOUR MIND OUR SOLIDARITY AND THE THINGS WE HAVE IN COMMON RATHER THAN OUR DIFFERENCES. THE TIES THAT BIND US TOGETHER ARE MUCH STRONGER THAT THE LINES THAT KEEP US APART! CELEBRATE EACH DAY AND SHARE IT WITH THOSE YOU LOVE!
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN COMING HERE FOR SEVERAL YEARS YOU MAY RECALL I SHARED AN INSCRIPTION FROM A STATUE AT FORT HAMILTON IN BROOKLYN THAT SAYS: “TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND EVERLASTING REMEMBRANCE, THE DOVER PATROL, 1914-1919, THEY DIED THAT WE MIGHT LIVE, MAY WE BE WORTHY OF THEIR SACRIFICE” AN INSCRIPTION WRITTEN AFTER WWI 100 YEARS AGO AND STILL WORDS TO LIVE BY… THE VERY SAME COULD BE SAID FOR OUR FIRST RESPONDERS AND THEIR LASTING LEGACY! MAY WE BE WORTHY OF THEIR SACRIFICE…
9-11 HAD ITS VICTIMS AND WE MOURN EACH AND EVERY ONE, BUT IT ALSO HAD ITS HEROES AND WE CONTINUE TO CELEBRATE THEIR LIVES AS LONG AS THEY ARE WITH US AND LONG AFTER THEY ARE GONE…THE MEN AND WOMEN STOOD SHOULDER TO SHOULDER IN DEFIANCE AND SOLIDARITY… WE SALUTE ALL THOSE WHO WENT TOWARD THE TOWERS AND THE PEOPLE IN NEED. OUR FIRST REPONDERS MAKE IT THEIR LIFELONG PURSUIT TO HELP OTHERS AND WE ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR COMMITMENT AND COURAGE JUST AS WE HONOR THE LIVES OF THOSE LOST 19 YEARS AGO ON SEPT 11 2001:
VINCENT G. DANZ, NYPD
ANNA M. DEBIN
ERWIN ERKER
THOMAS GAMBINO JR, FDNY RESCUE 3
CHIEF PETER J. GANCI JR, FDNY
PAUL HAMILTON GEIER
GARY F. HEROLD
JAMES P. HOPPER
LESTER V. MARINO
CAPTAIN KATHY MAZZA
PATRICK O’SHEA
LIEUTENANT CHRISTOPHER SULLIVAN
ANNA M. DEBIN
ERWIN ERKER
THOMAS GAMBINO JR, FDNY RESCUE 3
CHIEF PETER J. GANCI JR, FDNY
PAUL HAMILTON GEIER
GARY F. HEROLD
JAMES P. HOPPER
LESTER V. MARINO
CAPTAIN KATHY MAZZA
PATRICK O’SHEA
LIEUTENANT CHRISTOPHER SULLIVAN
MAY THEY REST IN PEACE AND BE SECURE IN THE KNOWLEDGE WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THEM FOR WHO THEY WERE AND HOW THEY LIVED … WE ALSO REMEMBER ALL THOSE WHO HAVE SUFFERED WITH ILLNESS AND DISABILITY AS A RESULT OF THEIR PART IN THE RECOVERY AT GROUND ZERO. WE MEMORIALIZE:
JOHN MOSCHELLA FDNY,
STEPHEN MOSIELLO FDNY,
MICHAEL KENDRICK, IRON WORKER LOCAL 361
STEPHEN MOSIELLO FDNY,
MICHAEL KENDRICK, IRON WORKER LOCAL 361
….. MAY THEY ALSO REST IN PEACE. TAPS
WE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE WITH GRATITUDE ALL THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED OR ARE SERVING IN THE ARMED FORCES HERE AND ABROAD, THEY PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE TO PROTECT US EACH AND EVERY DAY.
OUT OF 9-11 CAME THIS ORGANIZATION, THE FARMINGDALE COMMUNITY SUMMIT, TO RESPOND TO THOSE IN NEED AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER. IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMMUNITY SUMMIT PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE. WE REMIND YOU THAT THERE IS A DISPLAY INSIDE THE LIBRARY COMMEMORATING 9-11 AS WELL AS A MONUMENT TO OUR FIRST RESPONDERS BY THE ENTRANCE. THERE IS ALSO A POWERFUL DISPLAY AT THE SOUTH FARMINGDALE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND MONUMENTS AT MANY OF THE TOWN PARKS.
WE WANT TO THANK ALL THE PARTICIPANTS: CHIEF CHRIS KLEIN AND THE SOUTH FARMINGDALE FIRE DEPT. CHIEF DIBARTOLO AND CHIEF BUSER FROM THE FARMINGDALE FIRE DEPT, THE COLOR GUARD COMPRISED OF MEMBERS OF FARMINGDALE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND SOUTH FARMINGDALE FIRE DEPT, CHAPLAIN TIMMONS, DANIELLE TUCKER AND THE CHAMBER CHORUS AND THE 3 SENIORS WHO ORCHESTRATED THEM, DYLAN MAEBERT, ADAM RUBEN, AND BRIANNA LOUGHLIN. OUR THANKS TO PHIL SCANZE ON TRUMPET AND WE THANK THE FARMINGDALE LIBRARY FOR HOSTING. FINALLY, WE THANK JEFF PRITZER FROM THE FARMINGDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN.
COLOR GUARD, PLEASE RETIRE THE COLORS.
TWO POSTSCRIPTS IF I MAY, PLEASE KEEP IN MIND ALL THOSE WHO WORKED AT GROUND ZERO IN THE AFTERMATH WHO HAVE DEVELOPED RESPIRATORY AND OTHER ILLNESSES. THIS VIRUS ATTACKS THE SAME SYSTEM AND EACH AND EVERYONE NOW HAS A PRE-EXISTING CONDITION PUTTING THEM AT HIGH RISK. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO MENTION THAT THE HIGHEST AWARD GIVEN BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OF NEW YORK HAS JUST RECENTLY BEEN NAMED IN HONOR OF CHIEF PETER J. GANCI JR, IN RECOGNITION OF HIS SERVICE FOR OVER 33 YEARS BEFORE HIS DEATH ON 9-11.
THIS CONCLUDES OUR CEREMONY FOR THIS YEAR, WE THANK YOU FOR COMING, FOR JOINING US, AND FOR KEEPING THEIR SPIRITS AND LEGACY ALIVE! HAVE A GOOD EVENING. STAY SAFE AND WE HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT YEAR.
WE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE WITH GRATITUDE ALL THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED OR ARE SERVING IN THE ARMED FORCES HERE AND ABROAD, THEY PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE TO PROTECT US EACH AND EVERY DAY.
OUT OF 9-11 CAME THIS ORGANIZATION, THE FARMINGDALE COMMUNITY SUMMIT, TO RESPOND TO THOSE IN NEED AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER. IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMMUNITY SUMMIT PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE. WE REMIND YOU THAT THERE IS A DISPLAY INSIDE THE LIBRARY COMMEMORATING 9-11 AS WELL AS A MONUMENT TO OUR FIRST RESPONDERS BY THE ENTRANCE. THERE IS ALSO A POWERFUL DISPLAY AT THE SOUTH FARMINGDALE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND MONUMENTS AT MANY OF THE TOWN PARKS.
WE WANT TO THANK ALL THE PARTICIPANTS: CHIEF CHRIS KLEIN AND THE SOUTH FARMINGDALE FIRE DEPT. CHIEF DIBARTOLO AND CHIEF BUSER FROM THE FARMINGDALE FIRE DEPT, THE COLOR GUARD COMPRISED OF MEMBERS OF FARMINGDALE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND SOUTH FARMINGDALE FIRE DEPT, CHAPLAIN TIMMONS, DANIELLE TUCKER AND THE CHAMBER CHORUS AND THE 3 SENIORS WHO ORCHESTRATED THEM, DYLAN MAEBERT, ADAM RUBEN, AND BRIANNA LOUGHLIN. OUR THANKS TO PHIL SCANZE ON TRUMPET AND WE THANK THE FARMINGDALE LIBRARY FOR HOSTING. FINALLY, WE THANK JEFF PRITZER FROM THE FARMINGDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN.
COLOR GUARD, PLEASE RETIRE THE COLORS.
TWO POSTSCRIPTS IF I MAY, PLEASE KEEP IN MIND ALL THOSE WHO WORKED AT GROUND ZERO IN THE AFTERMATH WHO HAVE DEVELOPED RESPIRATORY AND OTHER ILLNESSES. THIS VIRUS ATTACKS THE SAME SYSTEM AND EACH AND EVERYONE NOW HAS A PRE-EXISTING CONDITION PUTTING THEM AT HIGH RISK. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO MENTION THAT THE HIGHEST AWARD GIVEN BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OF NEW YORK HAS JUST RECENTLY BEEN NAMED IN HONOR OF CHIEF PETER J. GANCI JR, IN RECOGNITION OF HIS SERVICE FOR OVER 33 YEARS BEFORE HIS DEATH ON 9-11.
THIS CONCLUDES OUR CEREMONY FOR THIS YEAR, WE THANK YOU FOR COMING, FOR JOINING US, AND FOR KEEPING THEIR SPIRITS AND LEGACY ALIVE! HAVE A GOOD EVENING. STAY SAFE AND WE HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT YEAR.
9/11 Memorial Dedication Address
Two towers stood like beacons in the night;
Two towers stood as symbols of power and might.
A year ago forces struck in an effort to take us apart;
Not just the towers, but the people, our spirit, our heart.
The concrete, steel and glass of the towers fell to dust,
But amazingly the spirit they stood for, remains strong within us.
Every physical part of those towers is gone, even the foundation
But the spirit they stood for galvanized our nation;
The loss of people was hard to accept and understand;
We cried, we shook, then as a nation we each held out our hand;
One by one, we cried, family by family, we dried each other’s eyes;
Community by community, we knit together to ensure America would rise;
Though our own foundations were shaken, they were not destroyed;
We prayed, we stood together, we gave each other our hearts to fill the void;
Heroes arose from every community, from every city, every place,
Firemen, police, children, teachers, every warm heart, every friendly face;
Many new “towers” stood up for America, helping us cope and heal,
We found that our families, our values, our spirit and heart were real.
Towers of concrete, steel and glass will definitely rise again in our nation,
We are just as sure that the sun will shine again on our generation
Tonight as we dedicate this site to the heroes of our community,
Let us dedicate ourselves to two new towers of understanding and unity
As we remember those who died, were hurt, and those who rose to the occasion,
Let us send out a message that we remain strong as a nation
Knowing that that strength comes not from buildings or towers,
But from within the fabric of American communities such as ours.
Written by Tom Sabellico, and read by Dr. Roberta A. Gerold at the dedication of the Farmingdale Remembers monument on September 11, 2002
Two towers stood like beacons in the night;
Two towers stood as symbols of power and might.
A year ago forces struck in an effort to take us apart;
Not just the towers, but the people, our spirit, our heart.
The concrete, steel and glass of the towers fell to dust,
But amazingly the spirit they stood for, remains strong within us.
Every physical part of those towers is gone, even the foundation
But the spirit they stood for galvanized our nation;
The loss of people was hard to accept and understand;
We cried, we shook, then as a nation we each held out our hand;
One by one, we cried, family by family, we dried each other’s eyes;
Community by community, we knit together to ensure America would rise;
Though our own foundations were shaken, they were not destroyed;
We prayed, we stood together, we gave each other our hearts to fill the void;
Heroes arose from every community, from every city, every place,
Firemen, police, children, teachers, every warm heart, every friendly face;
Many new “towers” stood up for America, helping us cope and heal,
We found that our families, our values, our spirit and heart were real.
Towers of concrete, steel and glass will definitely rise again in our nation,
We are just as sure that the sun will shine again on our generation
Tonight as we dedicate this site to the heroes of our community,
Let us dedicate ourselves to two new towers of understanding and unity
As we remember those who died, were hurt, and those who rose to the occasion,
Let us send out a message that we remain strong as a nation
Knowing that that strength comes not from buildings or towers,
But from within the fabric of American communities such as ours.
Written by Tom Sabellico, and read by Dr. Roberta A. Gerold at the dedication of the Farmingdale Remembers monument on September 11, 2002