VALE – Roughly 45 people attended a ceremony and barbecue at Wadleigh Park in Vale to honor veterans and first responders on the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack.
The ceremony on Monday, Sept. 11, was the culminating event at the Vale park after three days of activities celebrating Patriot Weekend, held each year for 9/11 veterans and first responders.
The American Legion performed a flag ceremony and invocation to honor those who died trying to save others.
The Sept. 11 attacks of 2001 killed 2,753 in New York, including 343 firefighters and paramedics and 23 New York police officers, according to the Encyclopedia of 9/11.
The number of first responders who have died from 9/11-related illnesses is now nearly equal to the number of firefighters and paramedics who died during the attacks, according to a recent press release from the New York City Fire Department.
The fire department recently added 43 new names to the World Trade Center Memorial, the press release noted.
“As we approach the 22nd anniversary of 9/11, the FDNY continues to feel the impact of that day. Each year, this memorial wall grows as we honor of those who gave their lives in service of others,” said Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh. “These brave men and women showed up that day, and in the days and months following the attacks to participate in the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site. We will never forget them.”
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