Borough President Vito Fossella stood in front of the graceful wings of the Postcards Memorial, which directly frames the spot where the Twin Towers once stood, to remember the 267 Staten Islanders who were lost 25 years ago and the First Responders who were lost in the years since because of their work at Ground Zero.
Hundreds gathered for the annual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony amid a backdrop of American flags fluttering in the breeze and as a broken skyline shimmered across the harbor.
“We gather once more, before these postcards, these open letters of love and remembrance facing across the harbor, toward the place where so many of our brethren left us on that clear September morning, those who ran toward danger, those who never came home, and those whose lives were later claimed by the aftermath,” said Borough President Fossella.
Bells tolled, heads bowed, and tears were shed as the names of the victims were solemnly read one-by-one by their family members. As the ceremony concluded roses were gently placed along the Postcards Memorial and the First Responders Memorial.
“Many crossed into the heart of the storm and did not return,” said Borough President Fossella.
