The Township of Weehawken held their 24th annual 9/11 remembrance ceremony on the Hudson River Walk by their memorial: two trident-shaped beams that served as supports for the Twin Towers.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
“Almost every remembrance has been a beautiful day like this,” Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner remarked, noting that they have seen better turnout when the hold the event in the evening as opposed to the morning.
“24 years later, in commemorating this day, I feel we still need each other’s moral support. We still need the hand holding. We still need the hugs. We still need spiritual band-aids … ,” exclaimed Councilman-at-Large Robert Sosa.
He also noted that thousands of people from lower Manhattan were sent to the grounds of the memorial in the wake of the tragedy, where many of Weehawken’s resources were then devoted to treating the situation that day in a triage.
Sosa also mentioned that many residents formed “an assembly line” up Pershing Road to help people, with some opening up their homes to those in need.
“Organizations we had never heard of staffed with their own professionals appeared out of nowhere … bringing supplies. We stayed operating our triage until the wee hours of the morning. Or better said, until nobody else showed up,” he recalled.
Sosa further explained that Weehawken first responders walked through the Lincoln Tunnel to help at the World Trade Center site the next day.
He also mentioned that many parents reached out for help locating children who were never ultimately found.
“There were more than 100 people sleeping in the gymnasium in the high school … With each anniversary, this commemoration underscores that some of the battles for our freedom are not defined by well well-defined battlefront,” Sosa added.
“Nowhere is it written that our democracy comes with a guarantee. Don’t allow anyone to take it away. Keep out the welcome mat in your hearts”
Turner stated that even after 24 years, reflecting on the terrorist attack doesn’t get any easier.
3rd Ward Councilman Dave Curtis then read the names of the Weehawken residents who perished that day while a bell was rung.
Turner then thanked and asked for a round of applause for their first responders of police, firefighters, and Emergency Medical Service (EMS) for their extraordinary efforts that day.
He later encouraged people to read the plaque on the memorial.
“Original tridents. All put together, the memorial, by the developers of the property behind you,” Turner concluded.
