Garden City Honors Fallen At Annual 9/11 Ceremony

GARDEN CITY, NY — The Garden City Fire Department held a remembrance ceremony at Fire Headquarters Sunday to pause and remember the fallen on the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The program, which is usually held at the village’s 9/11 Memorial on the Village Green but was moved this year due to inclement weather, paid tribute to those Garden City residents that perished during the attack on the World Trade Center, the 343 members of the New York Fire Department, 23 members of the New York Police Department and 37 members of the Port Authority Police Department killed, as well as those who have died of 9/11-related illnesses.

Ex-Chief John Casey offered opening remarks before introducing Mayor Cosmo Veneziale to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Ex-Chief Lawrence Nedelka offered the invocation and benediction. “We pray for the family and friends of those who died as a result of 9/11 violence and we seek to comfort them as they grieve their loss and celebrate the lives of their loved ones,” he said.

Chief Matthew Pearn said the village memorial should serve as a daily reminder to take nothing for granted. “We hope that memorial services such as this one reminds us all to never forget all which was lost on that fateful day,” he said. “There is no time frame for the grieving process. There is no time frame for healing. We cannot promise there will ever be a time we do not feel the emptiness. We can only promise you that you will have a solemn place to remember, mourn and reflect.”

Village Board members as well as members of Garden City’s executive staff joined Mayor Cosmo Veneziale at the ceremony, as did local representatives, including Nassau County Legislator Laura Schaefer. The 2nd Battalion 25th Marines provided the Color Guard for the service.

A bell tolled after the reading of each of the 23 residents’ names. The playing of Taps followed, courtesy of Garden City students Ellie Stier and Alessandro Ehrig. The residents’ names are etched in the memorial monument stone on the Village Green:

• Thomas M. Brennan
• Jonathan Neff Cappello
• Paul Cascio
• Michele Coyle-Eulau
• Laurence Curia
• Michael L. DiAgostino
• William J. Dimmling
• Christopher J. Dunne
• Paul Eckna
• Michael Hardy Edwards
• Robert J. Ferris
• Peter V. Genco
• Ryan A. Kohart
• David Leistman
• Robert C. McLaughlin Jr.
• James F. Murphy, IV
• James R. Ostrowski
• Durrell Pearsall
• James G. Smith
• Eric Thomas Steen
• John F. Swaine
• Kevin T. Szocik
• Stephen K. Tompsett