By Vita Duva, Correspondent
East Windsor Township held a wreath-laying ceremony to remember and honor the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The event, which was open to the public, was held at the existing 9/11 Memorial at the EWT Municipal Building grounds.
The EWT 9/11 Memorial was established 30 days after the coordinated terrorist attacks on New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania took place on Sept. 11, 2001. That tragic day, six EWT residents – Lorraine Bay, Colleen Barkow, Debbie Bellows, Anil Bharvaney, Neil Lai and Ruth Lapin – lost their lives alongside many others throughout the course of that day’s events.
Participants in the ceremony included Mayor Janice Mironov and elected officials; East Windsor Township Police Department; East Windsor Volunteer Fire Company, No. 1; East Windsor Volunteer Fire Company, No. 2; East Windsor Township Rescue Squad, District 1; East Windsor Township E.M.S., No. 2; school district representatives; local boy scout troops; community clergy and others.
“As we mark this 15th Anniversary of 9/11… this year’s freshman class in high school had not yet been born when 9/11 happened,” EWTPD Chief of Police, Harry E. Marshall noted during his speech.
Chief Marshall’s comments – brief, but strong – encouraged the crowd to keep the memory of 9/11 ever-present, and touched on the importance of continuing to educate the youth.
“Today’s ceremony is a thank you to those who lost their lives on 9/11,” said Boy Scout and township resident Gerald Laughlin, 14, when asked what his participation in Sunday’s ceremony meant to him.
Gerald’s mother, Penny, went on to explain that her son is what she considers a “9/11 baby.”
“[Gerald] was born 10 months after the attacks on 9/11, and this is the first year that he will be learning about those events in his history class,” the New York native said.
Throughout the ceremony, a number of readings were recited. Chief Robert Manilo of EWT Rescue Squad, District 1 and Chief Arlen Forst of EWT E.M.S. No. 2 each read passages from “Light One Candle.”
The ceremony, chock-full of musical performances also saw Harvey Bailey and Bill Kerr of the East Windsor Volunteer Fire Company No.1 perform the “Fireman’s Prayer,” followed by Mr. Bailey’s delivery of “God Bless the U.S.A.”
In closing, Mr. Bailey, alongside Mayor Mironov and other elected officials, led the crowd in an enthusiastic rendition of “God Bless America.”
