Thursday, October 1, 2026
A quarter-century has passed, but Oceanside has not forgotten. Community members gathered at Schoolhouse Green on Sept. 11 to honor the lives lost and the first responders who ran toward danger when the country needed them the most.
The Oceanside Fire Department hosted the memorial ceremony, bringing together local firefighters, police officers, veterans, community members, students and families to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
Assistant Chief Kevin M. Klein served as master of ceremonies and opened the evening by recognizing those who continue to carry the effects of Sept. 11.
“We cannot share the depth of your pain, yet we share your voices,” Klein said, offering words of support to those who lost loved ones.
The ceremony included a presentation of colors by the Oceanside Fire Department Ceremonial Unit and Oceanside Junior Fire Department, the Pledge of Allegiance led by Oceanside Boy and Girl Scouts and the national anthem performed by Oceanside student Kaylene Brown.
Students from Oceanside School 4 and 9E, led by teacher Cammyn Miller, performed “A Song for Peace.” The Oceanside High School Chamber Ensemble, led by Stephanie Stagnitta, later performed “Amazing Grace.”
One of the evening’s featured speakers was retired FDNY Lt. Scott Maxwell of Rescue Co. 3, who has deep roots in Oceanside. Maxwell was among the firefighters who responded to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 and survived both tower collapses.
“Twenty-five years later, it still stops me in my tracks that I’m able to be here to speak to all of them,” he said. “It took us nine months to clean up that site.”
Maxwell said that while the losses remain painful, the thousands of lives saved that day should also be remembered.
“We’d like to remember all the people that we lost, but we also like to remember about the 20,000 people that we saved,” he said.
Three wreaths were unveiled by OFD Chiefs Sean Lynch, Mark Sparberg and William Sitzman to remember three groups of people: the innocent men and women who were going about their daily lives that day, all who have lost their lives to 9/11 illnesses both uniformed and civilian, and the first responders who were lost in the performance of duty.
As the evening came to a close, Klein urged those gathered to continue passing the memory of Sept. 11 to younger generations.
“Your presence lifts us up and helps teach an entire new generation why we must always remember the events of that day,” he said.
