Bayonne residents, public officials, and faith leaders from various religious organizations gathered at the Teardrop Memorial at Harbor View Park for an Interfaith Memorial Service and Candlelight Vigil to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and pay homage to those lost on that day.
Words of unity, sadness, optimism, and healing were shared by all speakers. “They tell us we have to remember,” Mayor James Davis said. “We don’t have to remember, because we live it every single day, especially here in Bayonne.” He continued, “That’s what we owe, to all of those whose lives were taken away from us, from the victims and the heroes, we owe it to them to be who we are as Americans to come to together as one and not let anything or anyone divide us.”
Reverend Marcel Szabo of St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church saw meaning in the memorial’s teardrop. “There is one important lesson in that teardrop because it sheds not only when we’re happy and joyous… but when we’re standing in front of a coffin in good times and in sad times,” he said.“There is one basic element in that teardrop, and it is this: you and I, all of us, we belong to each other.”
Waheed Akbar of the Masjid Community Center spoke against political climates that cause ideological polarization and urged the audience not to succumb to the division that terrorism aims to achieve. “These attackers wanted us to fight out of hatred, but we’re doing the exact opposite,” he said.“The events were meant to divide us 15 years ago.Many of the political pundits now are using this for their own gains to again divide us, and we must not let that happen. If we did not do these events to come together in unity, we would continue to hate each other and let the attackers win, and we cannot let that happen.”
Reverend Gary Grindeland of Grace Lutheran Church spoke about ensuring future generations do not forget. “We are fast approaching a generation that has no direct memory of 9/11 so what should we have them remember?” he said.“Peace. God has created us and given us life so that we might have peace with one another. And the events of 9/11 simply spur us forward not only to remember those events but the costliness of peace and what it means for us in this world. We will never forget how hate cost innocent lives.”
Bayonne resident Barbara Carreiro was an employee of the Port Authority the day of the attacks. “A lot of the coworkers I worked with and was friends with passed away, so I’m giving condolences to them,” she said.“I’m hoping they’re at rest and their families are at peace because when they passed away they had little children who are older now.”
“I tried to get to the place but I couldn’t. I felt so sorry for the people that were in there because I knew there were people in the building trying to help. And when it’s coming down they didn’t have a chance to get out. But we’ll never forget that.” – Frank Perucci
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Frank Perucci, Color Guard Captain, shook hands with every person who walked by. “I seen the second plane go into the second building, and I seen the first building crumble, so it stands in my mind forever,” he said.“Not only that I saw, but I lived it. I tried to get to the place, but I couldn’t. I felt so sorry for the people that were in there because I knew there were people in the building trying to help. And when it’s coming down they didn’t have a chance to get out.” He went on, “But we’ll never forget that, we can’t ever forget that. And that goes on forever and ever. As long as I’m chairman of this, and I’ll be chairman for as long as I can do it. And we’ll be doing it every year from now on, without a doubt.”
Rory Pasquariello may be reached at roryp@hudsonreporter.com.