Aberdeen Receives Flag that Flew Over Ground Zero on Tenth Anniversary

On a gray Tuesday morning in February, members of the Cliffwood Volunteer Fire Company, Aberdeen Hose & Chemical No. 1 and Aberdeen Township Police Department gathered in the with Mayor Fred Tagliarini and Township Manager Holly Reycraft.

The light chatter in the lobby fell silent as Chris Stark, the regional director of integovernmental affairs for New Jersey, walked through the doors.

Stark presented Tagliarini with a small rectangular box and a piece of paper. Although the box did not appear important, everybody knew what was delicately folded inside.

Stark was there to present Aberdeen Township with another - a flag that flew over the land where the World Trade Centers once stood on the tenth anniversary of the attacks.

Gov. Chris Christie sent a letter along with the flag, which Stark read to the crowd.

"Please accept this gift as a token of our appreciation for the service you provide for the state, for its residents and as a reminder of a day we will never forget," Stark read.

The township plans to form a small committee to decide how to display the flag and the World Trade Center artifact, according to Tagliarini.