Under a perfect and cloudless sky much like that fateful morning two years ago, North Bergen community members and political leaders came together Thursday to remember the victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center and to honor the sacrifices of those who have protected America’s freedom.
At 10:30 a.m., the memorial service was held in front of North Bergen High School at a memorial dedicated to graduates of the school who were lost on September 11, 2001. Three names are inscribed there: Christopher Amoroso, Class of ’90, Robert Cirri, Class of ’80, and Sal Edward Tieri, Class of ’78.
The flag overhead flew at half-staff, and the Rev. Howard Wilcomes of the Community Church of God in North Bergen, calling the anniversary a day of remembrance, led the large crowd of friends and family in a prayer asking for “strength today and hope tomorrow.”
There were family members and friends of the victims as well as town and county leaders including North Bergen commissioners Allen Pascual and Theresa Ferraro, Hudson County Surrogate Donald De Leo and County Freeholder Thomas Liggio. The North Bergen High School Marching Band played patriotic music that set the tone for the morning, from the National Anthem to a stirring rendition of “America, the Beautiful” to a somber brass quartet which closed out the service with “Taps.”v Despite technical difficulties that made it difficult to hear some speakers at times, the determination to remember the sacrifices of those who have served this country – and those who continue to serve this country – came through.
North Bergen Superintendent of Schools Peter Fischbach asked those in attendance to remember that “our freedoms are not given – they are earned by those who have given their lives so that we may live in the greatest country ever.”v North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco, noting that teachers across the district would be giving lessons focused on the events of Sept. 11, said that for many students, Pearl Harbor was an abstraction, but that the attacks on Sept. 11 were not. He then asked the crowd to consider if the lessons of history have been learned.
Speaking to the Reporter after the service, Sacco elaborated on his earlier comments. “Pearl Harbor is an abstraction. It’s a lesson in history books,” he said. “Nine-eleven is fresh in everyone’s mind. We need to always remember and keep it fresh so that it can’t happen again. If close attention had been paid to the lessons of history, we might have been able to prevent the events of two years ago.”
He explained that this would have required a grasp of the lessons of history on all levels, including security and foreign policy. Said Sacco, “In Pearl Harbor, we were caught by surprise; again in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, we were caught by surprise. We have to be forever vigilant.”
Remembering the victims
The mayor also said that the service was made even more poignant for him personally because he had known the students, and especially by the presence of members of the Amoroso family. “Having the Amoroso family here today brings the message close to home,” he said.
Christopher Amoroso, a Port Authority Police officer, was lost after returning several times into the burning towers to rescue others.
Called “Chris” by everyone who spoke of him at the service, Amoroso was a former football player and coach for North Bergen football. The former right guard, who wore No. 62, even coached the mayor’s son at one time.
While Amoroso’s parents attended the memorial at Ground Zero that morning, family and friends came to the service in North Bergen. Chris’s uncle, Ted Amoroso, said of his nephew, “Knowing Chris, he’s up there saying, ‘Gee, I never knew I had so many friends!’ He was a real comedian.”
Ted Amoroso said that it was a great day. “It was nice to see so many people come out,” he said. He then added, as friends came offering hugs and their eyes started to well up, “We should never, ever forget this.”
Chris’s former coach, Vinnie Ascolese, said of his former player, “He did above and beyond what could be expected of a young man, and he gave back to his community.” As attendees looked together at a Daily News photo of Chris guiding a man and woman away from the towers, Ascolese said, “His courage came through.”
“He was a mild-mannered human being who cared about everyone,” added Ascolese.