This weekend was set to host commemoration ceremonies in West New York and Union City for the third anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11.
“It’s important that we observe this horrible day in our nation’s history,” said Union City Mayor Brian P. Stack. “As our nation continues to heal, hopefully, we can learn some important lessons from that tragic day.” Sept. 11 was marked as the worst disaster in the nation’s history. Not since Pearl Harbor had the country witnessed such an attack on American soil.
There were six victims of the attacks in Union City and West New York. In Union City, they were: Gary Bright, 36, Jorge Luis Leon, 43, and Alejo Pere, 66. In West New York, they were William “Billy” Cashman, Michael Colbert, and Paul R. Eckna.
Ceremonies
In Union City, Stack and the Board of Commissioners had scheduled an observance ceremony for Friday, Sept. 10 at Doric Park, located next to the Doric Temple on Palisade Avenue. The ceremony, which was set for 5 p.m., was open to all the residents of Union City and extended a special invitation to Veteran Affairs Monitor John McMahon and local poet Gerard Karabin.
“We’re having this once again to keep alive in our memories and our hearts the victims of September 11th and their families,” said Mayor Stack. “This is something we hope to continue every year.”
In West New York, remembrance ceremonies were set for Saturday, Sept. 11. Releases were sent out cordially inviting all the residents of town to join Mayor Albio Sires, the Board of Commissioners, and the West New York police department to pay tribute to all who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks.
The ceremony was scheduled to begin at 8:46 a.m., the time of the first plane crash into the World Trade Center towers, at the park located on 60th Street and Boulevard East. The fountain in this park had been dedicated to the men and women of West New York who lost their lives in the towers. A plaque has been mounted on the fountain with the names of these victims. As part of the commemoration, a flag raising ceremony was planned to honor the brave men and women in uniform, as well as the civilians who lost their lives that tragic day.
“We’re going to raise the flag and have a moment of silence for the victims and their families,” said Mayor Sires last week.
Although residents are pleased with the remembrance ceremonies for September 11, some felt that more should be done in addition to these memorials.
“We should remember it, but we need to realize more of what we can start doing in our actions so we can prevent this instead of just dwelling on it,” said Lazaro Perez, 24, Union City. “Everyone has their complaints about what Bush is doing, but no one has any ideas of what should be done. They just complain about what’s being done. So if your going to remember something, remember what happened and think about what we can do to prevent it from happening again.”
The memorials were set to go on as scheduled weather permitting. For more information contact Captain M. Caliguiro at (201) 295-5042.