By Richard Kaufman
Sentinel Reporter
Under clear blue skies and bright sunshine, not unlike that fateful day in 2001, local residents, first responders, and elected town and state officials gathered at the September 11 Memorial in Cos Cob Park to remember those who were lost 16 years ago.
Overlooking the Long Island Sound, the memorial and its centerpiece—two glass towers bearing the names of the 33 Greenwich residents who perished in the attacks—served as a poignant backdrop for the ceremony; the gleaming towers rose above the foliage and were visible to those seated below as well as to the boats in the harbor.
The ceremony featured remarks from Rabbi Mitchell Hurvitz of Temple Sholom, the Rev. Heather Sinclair of the First Methodist Church, and state Sen. Scott Frantz. The Greenwich High School Chamber Singers performed the national anthem, and honor guards from the Greenwich fire, police and EMS departments were on hand as well.
After the opening invocation led by Rabbi Hurvitz, Scott Frantz took to the podium. Although it’s been 16 years since the day that changed the United States and the world forever, he said, it’s still fresh in everyone’s minds:
“The tears still flow, the memories of our lost ones are as sharp as ever. Personally speaking, my utter disbelief that there would be other people out there that would attack children, women and men will never ever really go away.”
Frantz went on to talk about the overwhelming sense of patriotism that swept across the country immediately after Sept. 11, and that the feeling of unity is still felt on every anniversary.
“We’re a strong people with a wonderful set of traditions of always bending over backwards to help other people, always willing to serve this country and certainly always wanting to stand up for what is right at the end of the day,” Frantz said. “It’s our innate sense of patriotism and selflessness that makes us who we are today and provides for a bright future for many generations to come in the United States of America.”
Frantz said that although the United States’ fight against terrorism and evil hasn’t gone away in the years since Sept. 11, the country owes a great debt to first responders, law enforcement and those who serve in the armed forces for the “relative peace we’ve been able to experience locally and throughout the entire country.”
Greenwich Chief of Police James Heavey was also in attendance for the ceremony. He was on vacation in Cape Cod on Sept. 11 and rushed back to Greenwich afterwards. Still enlisted in the army reserves at the time, Heavey trained troops in Missouri and New Jersey for deployment overseas.
“We’re here to support the families from Greenwich that lost loved ones, but then also to remember all of the first responders,” Heavey said, noting that first responders’ careers changed forever as a result of the attacks.
Eirinn Rickard, current operations manager for GEMS, worked the night shift before the morning of Sept. 11 and woke up early eager to help. She recalls being on-call at area Metro-North stations to help anyone with injuries, since they expected an influx of people coming out of the city by train.
Rickard said she’s been to almost every 9/11 remembrance in Greenwich since 2001. “Every year it’s just as touching,” she said.
Family members of those that lost loved ones payed their respects at the ceremony, as some placed flowers at the foot of the memorial. Wells Noonan lost her brother Robert W. Noonan, and says going to the memorial is therapeutic.
“Being here brings my brother’s memory back,” she said. “It allows me to reconnect and celebrate him and all of his fellow coworkers and friends that were lost that day and reconnect with other family members in Greenwich who have lost family and friends.
“I come here all the time. It’s nice to have this,” Noonan added. “I don’t have a tombstone, I don’t have a grave. I have this.”
Sally Maloney lost her son, Teddy Maloney, and said that she too visits Cos Cob Park often. “I leave work and maybe sit on the bench and talk to Teddy,” she said. “He and I were so close. It was just one of those very rare relationships and I keep that up now with my other kids and my grandchildren. It’s very special.”
Maloney said it’s incredibly important to never forget what happened on that day. “I honestly think that’s happening. I think people are incredibly sincere in that. They’re never going to let this go.”
