Borer Recognizing FDNY 9/11 Survivor Mickey Kross At West Haven 9/11 Ceremony

Written by Michael P. Walsh

WEST HAVEN, CT — West Haven will observe the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on 9/11 with a flag-raising ceremony at 6:30 p.m. at the Bradley Point Park flagpole, followed by a candlelight vigil at the city’s 9/11 memorial.

The solemn service will begin with a presentation of the colors by the West Haven Police Honor Guard and the flag-raising by the West Haven Fire Department Honor Guard.

The flag-raising will honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 people who died in the attacks. It will include remarks by city leaders, including Mayor Dorinda Borer, Police Chief Joseph S. Perno and West Haven Fire Department Chief James P. O’Brien.

Rick Spreyer, Borer’s chief of staff, will serve as the master of ceremonies, and West Haven High School senior Zoe Powell will sing the national anthem and “God Bless America.” A pastor of Vertical Church will give the opening remembrance prayer, and retired West Shore Fire Department Lt. Kevin McKeon will play taps.

The New Haven County Firefighters Emerald Society Pipes & Drums will perform “America the Beautiful.”

At 7 p.m., the candlelight vigil will take place at the Richard S. Gabrielle Sept. 11 Memorial on the boardwalk next to the former Savin Rock Conference Center, 6 Rock St.

Members of the West Haven Rotary Club will distribute candles and programs at the granite monument, which was paid for by the service club in 2002. It was designed by Harold J. Schaller of H.K. Peacock Memorials Inc. in Valhalla, New York.

Gabrielle, 50, of West Haven, was killed during the attack on the twin towers in New York’s World Trade Center complex. An insurance broker at Aon Corp., he was last seen on the south tower’s 78th floor.

Declared Patriot Day by Congress in 2002, the city will fly flags at half-staff in recognition of the national day of remembrance.

At the vigil, Borer will acknowledge and read the story of Mickey Kross, a retired New York City Fire Department lieutenant who now lives in West Haven.

Kross responded to the attack on the twin towers and survived the collapse of the north tower. He later donated the black FDNY lieutenant helmet he wore on 9/11 to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at ground zero.

The vigil will feature a presentation of the colors by the West Haven Police Honor Guard, taps played by McKeon and Celtic folk performances by Irish singer-songwriter Liz McNicholl, including “The Bravest,” a tribute to the heroes of 9/11.

It will also include a wreath-laying by Deputy Police Chief Carl V. Flemmig Jr. and West Shore Deputy Fire Chief Raphael Zayas, along with a performance of “Amazing Grace” by the emerald society.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Kross’ firehouse, Engine Company 16 on Manhattan’s East 29th Street, was dispatched at 8:50 a.m. to the trade center complex. After reporting to a fire command post in the north tower’s lobby, Kross, then 55, and his firefighters headed for another command post on the 23rd floor.

Kross then received orders to evacuate. He was descending stairwell B on the north tower’s fourth floor when he heard a loud roar and the building collapsed.

A few hours later, sheltered by the stairway, Kross was among 12 FDNY members and two others who emerged relatively unscathed.

This press release was produced by the City of West Haven. The views expressed here are the author’s own.