Peter King: Paying tribute to those who died

Two weeks ago, we commemorated the attacks of 25 years ago and the courage and spirit of the American people, which moved the United States to rise from the ashes of that tragedy. It was so encouraging to see that Sept. 11 isn’t forgotten. The feeling of encouragement from those observances will remain a lasting memory for me.

Rosemary and I began this year’s anniversary by attending the ceremony at the Towers of Freedom 9/11 Military Monument at John Burns Park in Massapequa. That annual remembrance is coordinated by two retired first responders, FDNY Lt. Frank Haskell and NYPD Detective Tommy Smith. Haskell lost two cousins on 9/11, Tom and Tim Haskell. Both were FDNY members, Tom a battalion commander and Tim a firefighter.

I first met Haskell at Tim’s wake, just days after Sept. 11, and was struck by his determination to ensure that none of the victims had died in vain. Several years later, Haskell and Smith told me of their dream to build a military monument and a memorial area where family members and patriots could come and be alone with their prayers and memories. For others, this project would have been an impossible dream, but they made it happen. The towers and the memorial area are truly inspiring, as is the annual ceremony.

This year’s crowd at John Burns Park was the largest ever. Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joe Saladino and Firefighter Ken Haskell, Tom and Tim’s brother, spoke. There was mournful violin music, stirring patriotic songs sung aloud and prayers from local clergy. I was privileged to be asked to speak. The ceremony concluded with a helicopter dropping white roses on the crowd. It was particularly moving afterward to talk with family members and friends of 9/11 victims who were once again reliving the horrors of that fateful day, but had never lost their faith in America.

As we do every year, Rosemary and I then visited Holy Rood Cemetery, in Westbury, where our good friends Michael Boyle and his father, Jimmy, are buried. Michael was a firefighter who had finished his tour shortly before the north tower was struck, but returned — and died in the towers’ collapse. Jimmy was a retired FDNY firefighter who had twice been elected president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association. That morning he had been at his office in Brooklyn, where he worked for the district attorney. When he saw the towers being attacked from his office window, Jimmy left and raced across the Brooklyn Bridge. After he arrived at the World Trade Center, he barely escaped the falling debris that killed his son.

Until he died of cancer in 2019, Jimmy was a fierce advocate of preserving the memory of 9/11 victims. Many are buried at Holy Rood, where a polished black marble memorial bearing their names was constructed in their honor.

Every year, Seaford hosts a ceremony at Seaford High School, honoring five graduates who were killed: the Haskells; John Perry, of the NYPD; and Robert Sliwak and Michael Wittenstein, of Cantor Fitzgerald. The turnout there, too, was the largest ever, overflowing the front grounds and lawn of the high school. Family members and friends of the victims were joined by hundreds of residents, as well as the Nassau Police Pipe Band and the Seaford High School band.

The principal speakers were Nassau Police Commissioner Pat Ryder and Ken Haskell, and the Rev. Joe Fitzgerald, the pastor of St. William the Abbot Church, gave a moving invocation. I also spoke, and, like Haskell, decried the growing tendency among elected officials to minimize American exceptionalism and the lasting threat from America-hating terrorists. The evening concluded with the singing of “God Bless America.”

Sunday morning was dark and rainy as we made our way to St. William’s for Mass. At the church we saw Haskell; his wife, Genene, and their son, Ryan, who is an usher; and Ken’s mother, Maureen, in their usual seats. Fitzgerald was the celebrant, and discussed the meaning of 9/11, including, as he looked toward the Haskells, the lasting suffering of family members of those who died. As at Friday’s remembrance ceremony, the concluding hymn at Sunday Mass was “God Bless America,” sung by the entire congregation and followed by loud, respectful applause. Yes, Sept. 11 will always be remembered. God bless America.

Peter King is a former congressman, and a former chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Comments? pking@liherald.com.