(l. to r.) Local fire department members, Lt. Phil Senra, Jamie Prosser, Will Cho and Kyle Neumann (l. to r.) District 26 Assembly Member Ed Braunstein; Board Member and Special Projects Committee Member Felice Hannah; District 23 Council Seat nominee, Democrat Barry Grodenchik and how the nation came together as one people. As the lights came up, Ricken then presented the “credits.” “I wanted to give thanks to everyone involved in the ceremony beforehand,” he explained. “It upsets me when I go to the movies and the credits are given after the film when people are walking out.” To the surprise of many in the cinema, including Ricken, North Shore Towers very own were among the heroes at Ground Zero and they were asked to stand in recognition for their heroic efforts 14 years ago: Deputy Inspector Glen Kotowski, Lieutenant Steve Cairo and Sergeant Bruce Vogel—now North Shore Towers General Manager, General Superintendent and Assistant to the General Manager, respectively. Standing with them were NST residents, NYPD Detective, Todd Heiman, and NYFD Firefighter, Tom Lyons, who, despite his own respiratory concerns, has attended every funeral of every 9-11 victim, including individuals who died as a result of health issues sustained from the tragedy. Ricken stressed the need of supporting the proposed extension of the Zadroga Act, which provides health benefits to First Responders and others who suffer health issues as a result of the tragedy. Without passage, benefits will end October 2016. He related the story of famous “Dust Lady” of 9-11, Marcy Borders who was working in Tower II during the attack. She descended 86 floors, filled with smoke, before collapsing only a couple of floors shy, where she was picked up and carried out by a firefighter, who directed her to “Go north” before he returned into the building. 2 blocks later, Borders experienced Tower II’s collapse, struggling to continue north as instructed despite being pummeled by dust and debris and knowing her savior had died. A published photo of her, swathed in dust, led to her being known as the “Dust Lady.” A mere ten days prior to the ceremony, Marcy Borders died of lung cancer at the young age of 42. She was only 28 years old when her notable photo was taken. The extension and preservation of the Zadroga Act was echoed throughout the proceedings by subsequent speakers. Perhaps the most poignant moment came from Rabbi Randy Sheinberg, who spoke of her daughter confronting her about 9-ll. “Mommy, do you know about the towers that fell down,” her daughter asked after returning from school. “That happened a long time ago, right; before you were born?” Rabbi Sheinberg spoke of her initial loss at how to answer. Should she tell of watching the unfolding of the tragedy from the window of her apartment and of neighbor and friend Reuben who volunteered to helped and died? Maybe she should talk about the cessation of cell phone service due to the collapse of the Towers and people’s emotional struggle as they wondered about the fate of loved ones, or the efforts of strangers, checking on others and helping them. As Rabbi Sheinberg struggled to find the correct stories to tell her daughter, she came to realize it wasn’t the importance of which tales to tell, but rather that people must continue to tell any and all stories that emerged from the tragedy. “We must keep telling stories,” she urged, before relating those she did speak to her daughter about. How she saw a group of people of all races, creeds and religions joined together at the site and the single tree that survived the collapse of the Towers �� a pear tree, the saplings of which continue to be planted throughout New York City as a remembrance of the day and testament to the resiliency and fortitude of the living which survived it. Cantor Guy Bonne sung a Jewish prayer “to commemorate the death of loved ones” and District 24 Assembly Member and friend of North Shore Towers, David Weprin, spoke of where he was when the Towers fell, before Ricken introduced the second film. It opened with a powerful timelapsed sequence of the building of the Freedom Tower, followed by a photo montage of the Ground Zero rebuilding and museum, set against singer Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to Be an American.” It was an inspiring film, nicely offsetting North Shore Towers Courier n October 2015 7 the horror of the first and the perfect intro to Ricken’s reintroduction of the heroes in the room, this time gathering them onstage in acknowledgment and thanks for their heroism. With our heroes still onstage, Victor Portez played taps on his bugle, a moment of reverence and respect to all who lost their lives during or as a result of the events of the 9-11 attacks. The ceremony ended with Brittany De Varso leading everyone in a rousing and uplifting rendition of “God Bless America,” a memorable day commemorating a day that should never be forgotten. (l. to r.) Cantor Guy Bonne, District 26 Assembly Member Ed Braunstein, Rabbi Randy Sheinberg NST resident and NYFD 9-11 First Responder, Firefighter Tom Lyons NST resident and NYPD 9-11 First Responder, Detective Todd Heiman and wife, Cari
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