WEST WINDSOR: 9/11 vicitims remembered at MCCC ceremony

By Charley Falkenburg, Staff Writer
   WEST WINDSOR — A collective hush swept through the crowd as Lawrence Township police Sgt. Michael Yeh painted a vivid scene of destruction: burning fires, billowing clouds of smoke and an ocean of debris under which thousands of bodies were buried.
   Sgt. Yeh, a member of the New Jersey Urban Search and Rescue Team, was one of the first responders to Ground Zero when the World Trade Center crumbled to the ground 11 years ago. He came to speak about his first hand experience at the Mercer County Community College’s (MCCC) 9/11 memorial ceremony Tuesday morning.
   During his 12-day deployment, Sgt. Yeh and his team were tasked with finding and rescuing the sea of victims who lay under the endless mounds of rubble and in countless flattened emergency vehicles — all blanketed by what once stood as lower Manhattan’s iconic twin towers.
   Students, staff, community members and civic leaders gathered in the Student Center Memorial Garden Sept. 11 and listened as Sgt. Yeh described the dread he felt leaving his family and the frustration of being unable to find survivors.
   His team did, however, recover numberless remains, which they hoped would at least give closure to the impacted families.
   ”Every time a body was recovered, we all removed our helmets and stopped what we were doing for a moment of silence,” said Sgt. Yeh, looking out at his audience. “Any time a New York City firefighter or officer was recovered, we alerted their members who would come and carry their brothers off the pile.”
   Only five people were pulled from the wreckage alive.
   Feeling disheartened, encouragement for Sgt. Yeh and his team came in the form of the people from all over who tried to help in any way they could — from camping in their cars overnight to gathering at security checkpoints to cheer on the team’s ongoing efforts.
   ”It was very inspiring to all of us working together to locate these thousands of victims still unaccounted for — I knew our country was going to bounce back from these evil acts,” said Sgt. Yeh. “These events strengthened our people and our will.”
   The ceremony included an invocation led by MCCC Chaplain Rev. Robert Wittik, which was followed by a few words from County Executive Brian Hughes, who talked about progressing from the tragedy as one.
   ”That spirit of community we saw that day should be the spirit of community as we move forward,” said Mr. Hughes. “We can have that each and every day if we try hard enough — if we put our hands together and say we are all in this larger community together.”
   Mr. Hughes joined Sgt. Yeh, MCCC president Patricia Donohue and Mark Matzen, the chairman of the Board of Trustees, to ceremoniously lay a floral wreath upon the school’s memorial bench.
   ”We do it every year to honor the people lost, respect and support the people living with trauma and to help all of us keep in our hearts how much we need to treasure all the time we get with friends, family and colleagues,” said Ms. Donohue.
   MCCC sophomore and vocalist Alison Varra ended the ceremony by singing “God Bless America,” — her voice being quickly joined by many others in the audience.
   Among the audience were Ms. Varra’s grandparents Ernie and Kate Bloor and aunt Debra Pzubryk, all hailing from Hamilton. Ms. Varra’s family came not only to watch her sing, but also to honor 11th anniversary of 9/11.
   ”The attacks on 9/11 are something that will stick in people’s memories forever,” said Mr. Bloor.
   All three agreed the annual ceremonies were important to honor thousands of people who perished.
   ”And honor the ones still serving our country and their families,” added Mrs. Bloor.
   Former MCCC professor Pamela Sharples, said the annual ceremony touched her so much as an employee, she continues to attend as a resident of Mercer County.