To the Editor,
Thank you to the Greenwich Sentinel for recognizing September 11, and the memorial at Cos Cob Park, but the town actually has two memorials. The other is out on Great Captain’s Island near the lighthouse, a bronze plaque with the names of Greenwich folks lost on that date. It is aligned with so you look at the New York City skyline over it.
The last time I saw my brother Ben was a lunch at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club on Labor Day weekend that year. He died crushed by the collapse of Tower Two when it shredded the hotel to the west of the towers. He was with the fire command station that had been moved there from Tower One.
When we parted at IHYC we talked about the next fundraising effort as the most recent had been the preservation of the field at Sabine Farm. We discussed the stalled effort to put the navigation light back in the Lighthouse, and getting the team back together, including the driving force of the SF effort, Ed Bragg. Importantly Ed was a Coast Guarder and that service maintains lighthouse.
Little did we know what September 11th would spark. Ben’s widow, Susan Fisher, identified the Lighthouse renovation as a recipient of donations in Ben’s memory. This became a private – public partnership and between the contributions and a town contribution the historical building was restored. Unfortunately the Coast Guard refused to put the navigation light back in the tower. But fast forward and Ed Bragg was able to get a low wattage green flashing light installed in the tower.
So when you look out at Great Captain’s Island at night, look for the green light and know that there is a memorial nearby. And if you visit the island, it is possible to walk to the lighthouse, but best at low tide. God bless those we lost that day and all who serve to protect us from further terror.
Harry Fisher
