Village remembers Sept. 11

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About 50 Rockville Centre residents attended the village’s annual Sept. 11 vigil at the Village Green on a cold night last Sunday. Some were children and teenagers too young to remember the terrorist attacks 13 years ago.

The Fire Department marched to the village’s monument, beginning the ceremony. State Sen. Dean Skelos led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Anthony Brunetta, the village’s superintendent of recreation, introduced the speakers.

Mayor Francis X. Murray spoke first. “We recognize that no community suffered more than Rockville Centre on that tragic, deplorable day,” he said. “And yet no community responded with more good will and more generosity for their neighbors than in our village. We will never fully recover, but I hope and pray that time has changed the anger and pain in our hearts to a feeling of peace.”

Monsignor William Koenig led a prayer, and then Skelos spoke, saying, “As time moves on, I think we reflect more in terms of the happy days that we had with the family members, and certainly our friends and neighbors. We’re blessed to live in this great community. We’re a community that shares grief with each other, shares joyous occasions with each other — but even more important, comes together to help when people need that little extra hand, little extra pat on the back, little extra loving hug.”

Attendees who lit candles they had brought included the Sherry and Logler families, who lost a son and daughter, respectively, in the attacks.

Next to speak was Jen Muller of Lynbrook, who lost her brother, Michael Hannan. “I can remember that day as vividly as if it happened yesterday, and yet time flies,” Muller said. “For those of us who lost someone close to us that day — a family member, a friend, a coworker — our lives have gone on without their physical presence, but we mourn and miss them still.”

Muller said that charities founded in the wake of Sept. 11 showed how people reacted by doing good deeds instead of living in fear. “All of these entities are too numerous to name,” she said. “However, I’d like to mention three that I’ve had some personal connection to.”

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