Northport Remembers 9/11

Hundreds of Northport residents gathered in on Sunday to remember the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Almost 3,000 people were killed that day including nine Northport and East Northport residents: Daniel Smith II, Daniel Trant, Phil Hayes, Kevin Murphy, Ron Comer, Michael Duffy, Thomas Farrelly and Lorenzo Ramzey.

James Mahoney, a former commander and member, delivered the introductory remarks, describing 9/11 as the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor.

“We come together to grieve, console, and look forward as a nation, optimistically and cautiously,” he said. “We still are, and will forever be, the land of the free and home of the brave.”

Mayor George Doll, welcomed the audience and said we should  “let not one day diminish” remembering our veterans.

Rep. Steve Israel, D-Dix Hills, also spoke of the importance of remembering “the heroes among us.”

Even as the enormous destruction wrought by 9/11 instilled fear in the hearts of Americans, “flags unfurled on every block in our country,” Israel recalled.

People found courage, and while we mourn those we lost, we should celebrate what we found, he said.

He spoke of John Sferazo, an ironworker who rushed to Ground Zero, putting himself in harm's way in the desperate search for survivors. Sferazo's lungs are badly damaged.

“We should take care of him for the rest of his life,” Israel said, adding that we must endeavor to build a country fit for heroes as a legacy to those we lost.

Rev. Kristina Hansen, of , shared the story of Susan Retik and Patti Quigley, widowed by 9/11 while pregnant. In the face of tremendous loss, they formed an organization called "Beyond the 11th," and have since helped more than 1,000 Afghan women, widows like themselves.

Make choices motivated by “extravagant love,” rather than hate, Hansen implored.

As the keynote speaker, Chief Ric Bruckenthal spoke about his son, Nate, who had been part of an elite Coast Guard unit and served as a first responder at Ground Zero while on leave. Nate was later deployed to Iraq, and died in 2004.

Victims of 9/11 have grown to include the many military personnel who have died fighting terrorism and first responders who have since succumbed to illness, Bruckenthal said.

“We must continue the war on terrorism. We cannot let the world be controlled by evil,” Bruckenthal said, adding that while changes have shaken our country, we have not been defeated.

“This will be the legacy to the victims of 9/11,” he concluded.

Village Trustee and ceremony organizer Henry Tobin thanked those whose efforts brought the event to fruition, giving special recognition to Mahoney for his endless energy, inspiration, and the privilege of learning from him.