North Fork Set To Gather, Honor Those Lost On 9/11

NORTH FORK, NY — A crowd is slated to gather Wednesday night at Cochran Park in Peconic to place flags and pay solemn tribute to those who lost their lives on 9/11, 23 years ago.

The "Remember 9/11" event takes place at 5:30 p.m.

The Southold Town Fire Chiefs' Council traditionally organizes the Southold Town Firefighters' Memorial and Remembrance Ceremony.

In addition, Mattituck, Cutchogue, Southold, Greenport, East Marion, Orient, Plum Island, Fishers Island, and Shelter Island Fire Departments come together to pay respect and to lay a wreath.

The Southold 9/11 Memorial Committee provides 2,977 flags to the public, to be placed throughout the park in memory of the souls lost on that dark day.

Tracey Orlando, chair of the Southold 9/11 Memorial Committee, has reflected on the ceremony in past years. "It's a strange responsibility to be the chairperson of a memorial for a community, but it is my greatest privilege. The flags and mementos left by loved ones are kept and protected in my home every year. And it is a privilege to know that they represent the people we want to remember."

Every year, Orlando said, people comment that the memorial service continues to grow with time, not diminish. "That's because our wonderful community understands that we are all a part of this memorial. We all lost someone because we're Americans."