Seaford honors Sept. 11 victims

Michael Wittenstein was at Seaford’s Sept. 11 ceremony both in spirit and in person on Friday night. Upwards of 1,000 people gathered on the high school’s front lawn to honor Wittenstein (class of 1985) and the four other graduates who were killed in the terrorist attacks 14 years earlier.

Those in the crowd included 9-year-old Michael Wittenstein, named for the uncle he never got to meet. He placed a carnation in front of his uncle’s plaque at the school’s 9/11 monument.

Jeff Wittenstein, Michael’s brother and the younger Michael’s father, was touched by the outpouring of support. “It seems like there’s a lot of people every year,” he said. “It’s just an amazing community. I enjoy living here.”

The closeness of the community was a recurring theme during the hour-long ceremony. Speakers noted that it speaks volumes of Seafordites how, even 14 years after the attacks, hundreds still come out to mourn and remember those lost. The crowd included school administrators, current and retired teachers, elected officials, clergy, scouts, students, police officers and Seaford and Wantagh firefighters. Several high school sports teams were there in full force to show their solidarity.

“Our town has rallied time and time again to take care of each other,” said Dennis Haskell, brother of Thomas (class of 1982) and Timothy (1985), who were killed on Sept. 11. They were New York City firefighters, and were there to rescue people from the burning towers.

The other two graduates were John Perry (1982) and Robert Sliwak (1977). Steve Bongiovi, a retired Seaford High School teacher, spoke about each of the five victims. He recalled how Thomas Haskell went from captain of the football team to the youngest battalion chief in FDNY history, and how Timothy Haskell got his start as a volunteer with the Seaford Fire Department.

Perry was “a true renaissance man,” Bongiovi said, and fluent in seven languages. He was putting in his NYPD retirement papers when he left to go save lives at the World Trade Center. Sliwak and Wittenstein both worked for Cantor Fitzgerald. Bongiovi said Sliwak was on Seaford’s first county championship football team, while Wittenstein was a leader in the classroom and had great intellect.

“We will continue to remember them on this site and in this community, as long as there is a Seaford High School,” Bongiovi said.

Dennis Haskell asked the crowd not to forget Monica Rodriguez-Smith, a Seaford resident who was killed in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Congressman Peter King, to loud applause, spoke in support of renewing the 9/11 health care act, which would continue to provide medical benefits for those who worked at Ground Zero in the days, weeks and months after the attacks.

King, who has called Seaford home for more than 40 years, is a member the Homeland Security and reminded the crowd that America must stay vigilant to avoid future attacks. “We can never, ever let our guard down,” he said.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer recalled the tragic events of Sept. 11 that left the world stunned, but noted the resolve that followed. “As typical of Americans, as typical of New Yorkers,” he said, “we all came together.”

Schumer asked those in attendance to also remember the “brave men and women” who have fought overseas since Sept. 11, especially those who gave their lives in defense of freedom.

The ceremony included the playing of the national anthem by the Seaford High School marching band, “Amazing Grace” by the Nassau County Police Pipe and Drum band and “God Bless America” by the high school honors chorus. The Rev. Frank Nelson of Maria Regina Church and the Rev. Steven Knutsen of Seaford United Methodist Church tolled the bell in honor of all who died in the attacks.

The Rev. Robert Hayden of St. William the Abbot Church did the invocation, with the benediction led by the Rev. Ronald Klose of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. Candles were lit near the end of the ceremony and an orange glow illuminated the front of the school.

Seaford’s 9/11 Memorial Committee organized the ceremony. Afterward, guests were allowed to view designs for the proposed new monument, which will incorporate a piece of steel from the fallen towers.