Thousands of New Jersey residents gathered at Liberty State Park Sunday to mourn the victims in the World Trade Center attack, honor those who risked their lives in rescue efforts and express feelings of patriotism.
Titled "Remembrance and Reflection," the event included a mix of speeches from celebrities, politicians and relatives of the victims.
An estimated 2,000 people from New Jersey have been killed in the attack.
State officials said they distributed 15,000 tickets, which had to be requested in advance at local municipal buildings, for the event. People sat on folding chairs and watched the program that was staged in the south end of the park, a site that used to have the Twin Towers in the background.
Although the 90-minute program began at 6:30 p.m., people began entering the park as early as 3 p.m. Free food and refreshments provided by the Salvation Army were distributed at various tents around the park throughout the evening. One area designated for grieving allowed people to write messages and paste pictures onto whitewashed wood panels.
The park, like many areas in New Jersey, has played an instrumental role in aiding rescue efforts since the day of the attack. Ferries brought thousands of people from Manhattan’s financial district to Hudson County as the buildings toppled and debris filled the streets. Since then, a section of Liberty State Park has been turned into an assistance center for families of victims, providing psychological and fiscal counseling.
The state’s search and rescue team, Task Force One, has been aiding rescue efforts at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan ever since Sept. 11. In his speech at the remembrance, Acting New Jersey Gov. Donald T. DiFrancesco said, "day after day at Ground Zero, I saw Task Force One operate with professionalism and patriotism."
Actor Christopher Reeve ("Superman") and his wife, Dana, delivered the introductory remarks as former New Jersey natives. They both discussed the horrific nature of the tragedy, but assured people that better times are ahead. "We’re staggering from a blow that has shattered our belief in a just world," Dana Reeve said. "Things will eventually feel better."
Addressing the patriotic fervor sweeping the nation, Christopher Reeve also advised the crowd that it is just as important to remember the importance of America’s unity as it is to remember the people killed.
"Sept. 11 instantly brought us together as one people," he said. "There have been many defining moments in our past. America exists only because of the unwavering conviction that freedom from tyranny was worth any cost. We tend to forget how we became the great country we are. While we may not be able to console the families here to grieve, we can promise this: We never again will forget." Echoing his wife’s speech, he ended his remarks by saying, "The truth is that we will heal and go on."
One of those in need of healing is Steven Morello Jr., whose father, a Bayonne resident, was a victim of the Trade Center attack. Morello spoke to the crowd about his loving father, who was expecting to celebrate his first grandson’s first birthday party very soon, and his senseless death. "The real tragedy here is how many treasures we lost like my father." Ending on a hopeful note, though, he said, "Hatred and misunderstanding have brought us here today, but love, and only love, will see us through."
Also, a group of clergy members – representing the Muslim, Christian and Jewish faiths – addressed the crowd and called for a unified America, one that does not pass judgement on its neighbors because of their ethnic background.
The ceremony also included a candle-lighting ceremony for the state’s 21 counties, where the crowd participated by waving glow-in-the-dark sticks that had been distributed, and ended with a soulful performance of "America the Beautiful" by Ray Charles.
Frank Whalen, a park employee who watched the entire attack unfold while working and helped people get off ferries the rest of the day, said he was deeply touched by the event. "I thought the memorial service was outstanding," he said. "I cried a few times."
Whalen, who served in the Marine Corps, also participated in the ceremony by carrying a 10-by-8-foot American flag from the north end of the park to the stage with three other people. "I was never more proud to carry the American flag than I was that day," he said.