Residents remember 9/11 at Eisenhower Park

President Barack Obama’s Sunday night announcement of the death of Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader and architect of the 9/11 attacks, set the stage for a Monday mixed with reflection, remembrance and celebration.

The news of bin Laden’s death following a firefight with U.S. Navy Seals at a compound located in Pakistan came about four months before the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

It was the overriding topic on Monday across America and on Long Island. Much discussion was conducted on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The news dominated the radio and television airwaves and generated feedback to newspapers and news websites.

In East Meadow, home of Nassau County’s 9/11 Memorial in Eisenhower Park, residents trickled in and out of the lakeside landmark on Monday and Tuesday, many to pay tribute to lost loved ones whose names are inscribed on the walls of the monument. 

With Long Islanders reacting to the news of the death of Osama bin Laden, Nassau County extended the hours at Eisenhower Park's lakeside 9/11 Memorial on Monday night for those to wishing to honor the victims of the attacks of September 11, 2001. The county provided candles to people on hand at the monument, which includes the names of every Nassau resident that perished on 9/11.