Residents remember Sept. 11 in Mansfield ceremony
By: Molly Petrilla
MANSFIELD The mood was somber on Monday when more than 100 township residents and officials met in Mansfield Park to commemorate the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
"It was very moving," Township Administrator Joe Broski said. "You could tell some people were getting emotional, and I think that says a lot. People were taken back to that day, and some of them were getting a little dewy-eyed."
Even though the township-run event began at 8:45 a.m. on what was for most residents a workday, Mr. Broski said the turnout was much larger than he had anticipated.
"We had printed 100 programs up, and we ran out of programs," he said. "There were a lot more people there than we thought there would be, I think because it was the fifth anniversary, which is significant, and because of our proximity to New York City."
Mr. Broski said he was able to talk to several residents after the event, all of whom were "very impressed" by it.
"People are able to relate to something like this that’s the biggest part," he added. "I think they want future generations to remember what happened."
The event included individual prayers for police officers, firefighters and EMTs, as well as a group rendition of "God Bless America" and bell ringing.
In addition, Mr. Broski said several military officers came to the ceremony in uniform, and a group of retired firefighters were also in attendance.
The administrator was also quick to note that the event remained nonpolitical, adding that "we didn’t get involved talking about the role of the president or what he did or did not do." Rather, the ceremony was strictly to honor the first responders and the acknowledge the civilian casualties, he said.
Mr. Broski said the township will "absolutely do this again next year," and would welcome a speaker if an appropriate person were to step forward.
"At the conclusion, people were asking us to do this again, and we’ll try to improve on it if we can," he added.