14 THE QUEENS COURIER • SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Middle Village honors lives lost 20 years after 9/11
BY GABRIELE HOLTERMANN
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Hundreds gathered in Juniper
Valley Park in Middle Village on
the 20th anniversary of the 9/11
terrorist attacks for a solemn
memorial program, remembering
the almost 3,000 people
who lost their lives that day in
New York City, the Pentagon and
Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Th e emotional program included
the reading of the names of
the 9/11 victims from the surrounding
area, a video montage
of the attacks and the aft ermath
accompanied by Alan Jackson’s
song “Where were you when the
world stopped turning,” as well as
the observance of the Tribute in
Light, shining bright against the
late summer evening sky.
Th e 9/11 Vigil Committee in
Middle Village has held a candlelight
vigil and memorial service
at Juniper Valley Park for 20
years — the fi rst vigil was held a
few days aft er the worst terrorist
attack on U.S. soil and attracted
6,000 people.
Organizers and elected offi -
cials had an important message:
Never forget that fateful day,
which has become synonymous
with sacrifi ce, heartache, heroism
and unity.
Frank DeBiase, president of the
9/11 Vigil Committee, remarked
that the committee, which comprises
a group of volunteers from
Middle Village and Maspeth, had
invited 13 local schools to participate
in a 9/11 essay contest.
“Only one school submitted
entries,” said DeBiase, a retired
corrections captain and Ground
Zero fi rst responder.
He then introduced Christ the
King High School senior Melissa
Rojas, who won fi rst place with
her essay “A never-ending tragedy.”
Queens Deputy Borough
President Rhonda Binda said
that the victims’ legacy lived
on in their families, and it was
the duty of New Yorkers to
A memorial display depicts NYPD and FDNY members, the twin towers, and crosses representing the victims.
honor them.
“And another way that we can
honor them is to celebrate our
freedom as Americans and keep
this city and this borough open
and embracing diversity,” Binda
said.
Congresswoman Grace Meng
expressed her gratitude to the
volunteers who organized the
memorial and the families who
brought young people to the vigil
who were either too young to
remember 9/11 or who weren’t
even born at the time it happened.
“I say this more as a mom than
as an elected offi cial, ” Meng
said, urging that schools nationwide
teach about the darkest day
in U.S. history. “For us to ensure
that our future generations of
young people know and understand
what happened that day,
it shouldn’t be just one school in
our district who submits essays
to talk about and remember
9/11.”
Assemblyman Brian Barnwell,
who lost his cousin FDNY fi refi
ghter Edward White on 9/11,
pointed out that some, unfortunately,
didn’t pay much attention
to the anniversary of the terrorist
attacks.
“It is our duty to make sure the
next generation of Americans
know what was what happened
and why it happened,” Barnwell
said.
Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi
shared the story of a neighborhood
kid who was “the best athlete”
he’d ever seen play in every
sport, and “the nicest guy.”
Hevesi’s childhood friend
worked for Cantor Fitzgerald,
which occupied the 101st to
105th fl oors of the north tower.
He perished along with more
than 650 of his co-workers.
“I’m constantly going back to
that day because the feeling is
sadness. But that feeling is also
combined with anger, still angry
that Americans were attacked,”
Hevesi said. “I am grateful to live
in the greatest country in the history
of the world and to celebrate
and come back here every year
to remember what happened 20
years ago.”
Councilman Robert Holden
recalled the fi rst vigil on Sept. 16,
2001, and how proud he was of
the 6,000 community members
Photos by Gabriele Holtermann
who united in Juniper Valley
Park. He said some marched to
FDNY Squad 288/Hazmat 1 fi rehouse
in Maspeth, which lost 19
fi refi ghters on 9/11.
In 2013, community members
asked the Landmarks
Preservation Commission to
landmark the fi rehouse but were
turned down because of policies,
Holden said.
“I said, ‘baloney,’ … we are
going to fi ght,’” Holden said,
sharing that he would introduce
legislation in the City Council to
landmark the fi rehouse dedicated
to the 19 fi refi ghters.
Holden said it was the duty
of those who lived through the
tragedy to tell the next generation
about the lives lost on 9/11
and how many families were left
devastated.
“So even if I have to introduce
legislation to make it mandatory
in New York City public schools,
I will do that. It has to be taught,”
Holden said. “It’s the right thing
to do.”
State Senator Joseph Addabbo
said it was important to remember
those who perished on
9/11, those who are dying from
9/11-related illnesses, and the
heroic eff orts of those who saved
thousands of lives on that day.
He recalled when over 10,000
construction workers from the
greater New York area joined the
FDNY and NYPD to help in the
search for victims and survivors.
“I like to think about 9/12, the
day aft er, because we started to
rebuild. We weren’t afraid. We
didn’t back down,” Addabbo said.
“We got together with those who
lost others, and we helped them
rebuild their lives.”
He urged everyone to reclaim
the spirit of unity everyone felt
aft er the terrorist attacks.
“We started with the fl ag and
the patriotism, and so in honor
of those that we lost, in honor of
those that were saved and honor
of the fi rst responders and the
veterans, may we work together
as a community,” Addabbo said.
A Boy Scout attends the 9/11 memorial and candlelight vigil.