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Politics & Government

Union County Commemorates 9/11

Ceremony hosted in front of hundreds at Mountainside's Echo Lake Park.

Union County residents and officials came together at Echo Lake Park on Sunday to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of the September 11th attacks, where members of terrorist group al-Qaeda hijacked American planes and crashed them into both World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon, and a field in a small Pennsylvania town.

The event, sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, was held to honor the 60 fallen Union County residents who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. All 60 names were read during the solemn ceremony by county freeholders Angel G. Estrada and Christopher Hudak.

The event also featured an exhibit of 343 American flags, one for each of the New York City firefighters who lost their lives on that day at the World Trade Center, a 21-gun salute and presentation of colors from various police representatives from throughout the county, and a blood van from the New York Blood Center for any residents or officials who wished to give blood.

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“We thought that it was important to provide our community with a way to give back, to give life to itself,” said Board Chairperson Deborah Scanlon in an address to the public. “In light of this catastrophic storm, your donations, as you know, are more important than ever.”

Several of the freeholders offered their reflections on the September 11th attacks, with togetherness and resiliency each a common theme.

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“At this very time (ten years ago), many of us had no idea what the future would bring, but there was one thing we knew; we knew Union County. We knew our neighbors, our families, our friends. We knew that we could rely on each other to pull us all through. I am very proud to see how right we were,” said Scanlon. “I feel like Union County has grown stronger in many ways since that day. Ten years later, here we are, still together as a community. We’re united in our grief for those we lost, and we’re united in our hope for a better future.”

Added Freeholder Daniel Sullivan during his testimonial speech, “On that chilling day, two images stand out. One is of people, hurt and horrified, fleeing from a disaster beyond comprehension. The other, just as strong, is of people rushing in to help, risking their lives, and then laboring for days, weeks, and months after to rescue, to recover, and to restore. Those two interlocking images represent, to me, the heart of the American experience. When one is in need, the other reaches out to help.”

“The horror of that day was undeniable,” continued Sullivan, “but so was the response.”

Sullivan’s speech also hit another key theme emerging from the aftermath of the September 11th attacks: never forget.

“Today, we are certainly not alone. We share this day with many millions of Americans who are commemorating the tenth anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001,” said Sullivan.
Together, we reflect on the losses we have suffered, and we reflect on the profound ways in which this event continues to affect our lives and our country.”

Those ways include the poor health that some rescuers have experienced in recent years as a direct result of their efforts on September 11th.

“Ten years later, many of our fellow Americans still suffer from broken health as a result of the rescue and recovery operations of September 11, and they still need our helping hand, our attention and, above all, our respect,” said Sullivan. “As we remember our day and honor those who stepped in to help without a thought to their own safety, let us also remember those who still suffer in the aftermath, and pledge our nation to do the right things.”

It is this combination of togetherness and remembrance, according to Sullivan, that will keep Union County moving forward together.

“Ten years after that clear, bright, and terrible September, our neighborhoods are still here. Our schools are still here,” said Sullivan. “We are still working and thriving, and enjoying all of the things that make us a great community.”

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