Our borough will remember friends and neighbors who perished on 9/11 with remembrances that have become part of the fabric of civic life in the past 10 years.
One of the largest is the 9/11 precession and ceremony held at the remembrance garden at Jacobi Medical Center at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 11th. The garden includes permanent plaques with the names of the borough’s fallen.
The ceremony will include comments from elected officials, the dedication of an artifact from Ground Zero, songs, bagpipes, color guards, poetry readings, and a presentation from the Bronx Emergency Preparedness Coalition. The hospital and its Citizens Advisory Board organize the event.
“As a regional trauma center, we stand ready to respond with life-saving care, for anyone in need,” said William Walsh, executive director of Jacobi Medical Center. “In this role, we bear witness to the emotional toll which tragedy takes, both on its victims and on their families.We find comfort in knowing that here, in the Remembrance Garden on our campus, families have a place where they can find a measure of solace and comfort in the face of heartache and terrible loss.”
In what is something new in remembrance of 9/11, Senator Jeff Klein is hosting the first annual First Responder Appreciation Barbecue on Saturday, September 10 from 3 to 7 p.m. in Ferry Point Park. The event will take place near the entrance located at Schley Avenue and the Hutchinson River Parkway service road.
“Even after 10 years, the memory of the sacrifices made our first responders on Sept. 11 remains fresh in our minds,” Klein said. “However, it’s every day that these brave men and women put their lives on the line to protect our neighborhoods and our loved ones. This picnic is one small way to say thank you for the work, the dedication and the courage they show each and every day.”
In the days following the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001,
Klein said that he noticed many people taking time out of their days to stop by their local firehouse or police station to bring food and water, and to leave messages of condolences and thanks to the men and women who risked their lives and made the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow Bronxites and New Yorkers.
Klein is sponsoring the event in partnership with the Parks Department, the Bronx Times Reporter, Sabrett, and Pepsi Co.
The Waterbury LaSalle Community Association, in conjunction with the First Lutheran Church of Throggs Neck, will hold a 10th anniversary candle-light vigil for the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks at 7 p.m. on Sunday, September 11. The service will take place inside the church, which is located at Baisley and Hollywood avenues.
Also in Throggs Neck, there will be a sunset memorial at the vigil dedicated to the 15 victims from that community who perished in the terrorist attacks. It will last from 6 to 9 p.m. at the community’s memorial, which is located at next to Engine Company 72 at the corner of the Cross Bronx Expressway service road and E. Tremont Avenue.
“These ceremonies are always really emotional,” said Councilman Jimmy Vacca. “A lot of times it is very difficult to fathom what has happened even ten years later.”
Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.’s 9/11 remembrance event will take place in conjunction with the Bronx County Supreme Court at Lou Gehrig Place on East 161st Street between Grand Concourse and Walton Avenue between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Thursday, September 15. Members of the borough president’s staff, the legal community, and the public will pay homage to the borough fallen.
Also honoring the fallen of September 11, 2001 is Fordham University.
The college will be hosting a cross-country meet in memory of the victims of September 11, 2001 in Van Cortlandt Park with about 15 other colleges, including the U.S. Naval Academy and Princeton University, on Sunday, September 11. There will be a special pre-race ceremony at 10 a.m.
The ceremony that will include the Fordham University R.O.T.C. Color-Guard and a speech from Long Island Congressman Peter King, who is chairman of the Congressional Committee on Homeland Security. It takes place at the Tortoise and Hare statues at Broadway and West 251 Street in the park.
The runners in the two races for men and women will also be wearing a special patch in recogniton of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Fordham sports information director Joe DiBari stated.
