A 9/11 memorial held in Lynbrook

During the ceremony.

Photos by Tim Baker

Lynbrook Mayor William J. Hendrick speaks during the ceremony.

Opening prayer by Fr. Richard Stelter of Our Lady of Peace Roman Catholic Church.

People in Lynbrook who attended the ceremony.

Beginning of the ceremony.

Bell about to ring for a moment of silence.

Lynbrook Memorial garden.

View of the memorial garden,

Music played at end of ceremony.

Crowd at the ceremony in Lynbrook for 9 11.

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At 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, more than three hundred people gathered at the Memorial Garden park next to Lynbrook Village Hall for it annual ceremony commemorating the 20 residents whose lives were lost on that day 14 years ago.

“Our memorialization of this event shows that we, as Americans, have remained strong and will never forget the attack on our country,” said Mayor William J. Hendrick. “By coming here together, we evidence our great desire to protect our liberties, freedom, and way of life.”

Families and friends of those killed were present, along with many who wished to pay respects to the deceased and to honor the first responders who put their lives on the line that day.

Father Richard Stelter, from the Our Lady of Peace Roman Catholic Church, led the invocation. “… we ask you in your goodness, to give eternal light and peace to all who died that day at the World Trade Center in New York, at the Pentagon in Washington DC, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy. Give them strength to continue their lives with courage and hope. ...Grant that those whose lives were spared may live, so that the lives lost here may not have been lost in vain.”

The young men and women of the Junior Fire Department held white flowers, and when the name of a local resident who was lost on 9/11 was read, a corpsman solemnly joined with a family member or friend in laying the stem upon one of the commemorative stones that filled the enclave. Meanwhile, Mac na hEireann Pipes and Drums played “Amazing Grace” in the background.

As Rabbi Sandra M. Bellush of Temple Am Echad surmised, in her closing prayer, we can all hope for a day when everyone’s heart is filled with love, and “we make war no more.”

The last moments of the tribute were made even more beautiful by the crystal-pure voice of Alexa Ford, singing “God Bless America.” (who also opened the ceremony with her rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.”)

Mayor Hendrick thanked many of those who had helped make the event possible, including Fire Department Chief James McDermott, Police Department Chief Joseph Neve, American Legion Post 335, Veterans of Foreign War Post 2307, and Linda Stephenson, head of the Chamber of Commerce.