Not forgotten: Brooklynites mark Sept. 11 at ceremonies throughout the borough
By Shavana AbruzzoPosted on
Photo by Steve Solomonson
They said to never forget — and we haven’t.
Yesterday, hundreds of Brooklynites assembled at parks, piers, and institutions across the borough to remember the nearly 3,000 people who died on the 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Firefighters from Engine 246 Ladder 169 in Brighton Beach joined flag-waving patriots at Sheepshead Bay’s Bill Brown Park for the annual tribute, held in a ball field against the backdrop of a giant mural dedicated to the deceased.
Among this year’s attendees were Brooklynites who were not even born when the attacks happened.
At Marine Park, Jacqueline Cox, 9, proudly donned the hat of her firefighter father, while girls scouts from Troop 2511 released yellow balloons into the air.
Army service members continued the sobering rites at Fort Hamilton Army Base, where soldiers and personnel raised the flag to mark the memories.
Nora Dessi of Queens grew misty-eyed in front of the Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance in Coney Island, as she fingered the plaque of fire department Lt. Michael Russo, her late son-in-law, and worried that memory of the attacks might fade.
“Will the next generation continue the memorials, or will they forget?” she asked.
Solemn tribute: Firefighters from Ladder 169 listen to a roll call of the deceased at Bill Brown Park in Sheepshead Bay.
Photo by Arthur De Gaeta
Tender touch: A mourner fingers a mural dedicated to a lost loved one at Bill Brown Park.
Photo by Arthur De Gaeta
True colors: Brooklyn patriots gather on the 69th Street Pier to honor the memories of the dead.
Photo by Elizabeth Graham
New generation: Adela Rossochacki, 3, of Bay Ridge, waves a flag of remembrance on Sept. 11 at the 69th Street Pier.
Photo by Elizabeth Graham
Candleight vigil: Dyker Heights resident Stefani O’Connor listens intently during twilight 12th-anniversary ceremonies on the 69th Street Pier.
Photo by Elizabeth Graham
Up, up, and away: Girl scouts from Troop 2511 at Good Shepherd Church release commemorative balloons in Marine Park after the memorial.
Photo by Steve Solomonson
Sober serenade: U.S. Army Sgt. Louis Licalzi sings a poignant rendition at Marine Park of “When you say you love me.”
Photo by Steve Solomonson
Solemn salute: Army members at Fort Hamilton Army salute the flag in honor of Sept. 11 victims.
Photo by Steve Solomonson
Penant bearers: Master Sgt. John Comacho participates in flag-folding rites at Fort Hamilton on the 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Photo by Steve Solomonson
Bugle call: Sgt. Aggrey Benn plays taps at Fort Hamilton Army Base.
Photo by Steve SOlomonson
Never forget: Nora Dessi attends the memorial at the Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance, where she stands and reflects by the plaque honoring her late son-in-law FDNY Lt. Michael Russo of Brooklyn’s Squad 1 in Park Slope.