For the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Nassau County held a memorial service at the Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre in Eisenhower Park. The commemorative evening brought together community members, elected officials, first responders, relatives of those who died and other mourners, all renewing the promise to carry forward the memories of those lost and to “Never Forget.”
During the ceremony, the names of the 349 Nassau County residents who perished on Sept. 11 were read aloud. Relatives of some of those who died took part in the reading, sharing stories of love and remembrance.
Three chaplains representing the Catholic, Protestant and Jewish faiths led prayers for those who were lost and for those who continue to carry the weight of that day. Shulem Lemmer and One Purpose Gospel gave musical performances.
The introductory prayer was given by Nassau County’s fire chaplain, the Rev. Kevin Smith. He prayed for the families and loved ones left behind, for those who continue to honor the memory of the people they lost, and for those still suffering from 9/11-related illnesses.
“We made a covenant and a vow to never forget,” Smith said during the ceremony held on Sept. 10. “As we come together tonight 25 years later, we’ve kept our promise and remain faithful to our vow.”
The first family member who spoke, Margie Miller, offered a wider message about the loss felt by all. Her message was one of remembering them with honor, love and appreciation.
“Here we are 25 years later still grappling with the magnitude of Sept. 11,” Miller said, whose husband perished during the attacks. “Still processing, still burying, still remembering, still loving, still missing. The burden is ours and the honor is ours, all of us, to remember each soul lost, remember the stories, so that they will be remembered for the lives they lived and not the horrific way that they died.”
Between the first two sets of names, Nassau County’s police chaplain, the Rev. Derek A. Garcia shared a prayer, recognizing not only those who died that day, but also those still living with the tragedy — family members as well as victims who live with damage to their health from the event.
“Many still grieve,” Garcia said. “Many still feel the effects of that day in their hearts, and some in their bodies.”
One family member, Susan Hutchins, spoke of her son, Kevin Colbert. But she didn’t want the day to go by without acknowledging all the lives lost that day.
“25 years ago, 2,606 people got ready for work, not knowing it was the last time,” Hutchins said, “246 people were getting ready for a flight, 343 firefighters, 60 police officers and paramedics, and one K-9 dog.”
For everyone in attendance, they felt the person they lost was too young to die. Hutchins also remarked on the emotional experience of feeling that way.
“People always talk about closure,” Hutchins said. “When someone you love leaves too early, there is no closure. I made a promise to myself that one day I would heal, but here I am 25 years later, still focused on putting one step in front of the other, stumbling, falling, getting back up, but moving forward.”
Rabbi Elie Weinstock of the Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach gave the final prayer of the memorial service.
“We will always remember the courage of those who ran towards danger, the strength of those who survive and the resilience of families and communities that carried on,” Weinstock said. “We remember the heroism, the unity and the resolve that emerged from that horrific day.”
Weinstock had one more message for those honoring those lost on 9/11.
“May we leave here not only remembering the past,” Weinstock said, “but accepting the responsibility for the present and the future.”
Lemmer ended the ceremony with his rendition of the song “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. Afterward, most attendees gathered in silence around Nassau County’s Sept. 11 memorial, beside the Eisenhower Park’s lake just feet from the ceremony site, to lay roses in honor of those who died.
