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COME TOGETHER AND REFLECT ON WHERE WE, UH, WE WERE, THE PEOPLE THAT WE LOST, UM, AND THE TRAGEDY THAT OCCURRED IN OUR COUNTRY BACK ON NINE 11, ALL THOSE YEARS AGO, 24 YEARS AGO.
UM, AND I ALSO WANNA THANK OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT, UM, OUR EMERGENCY SERVICES TEAM FOR EVERYTHING THEY DO EVERY YEAR.
THEY NEVER KNOW WHEN IT'S A ROUTINE EVENT OR A CATASTROPHIC EMERGENCY, AND IRRESPECTIVE THEY'RE THERE TO TAKE CARE OF ALL OF US.
SO FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, THANKS TO ALL OF YOU, AND WHAT WE TYPICALLY DO IS PEOPLE SHARE THEIR REMEMBRANCES.
SO I'M GOING TO HAND IT OVER TO LEGISLATOR IN URA TO, TO SHARE HIS REFLECTIONS, BUT ENCOURAGE ALL OF YOU TO COME AND SHARE YOUR REFLECTIONS ABOUT, UM, YOUR EXPERIENCES THAT DAY AND ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY TO ALL OF US.
SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING HERE.
AND, UH, LEGISLATOR, UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE HASTINGS FIRE DEPARTMENT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE FOR COMING TONIGHT.
UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE SAID THIS EVERY YEAR, UM, THAT I'VE BEEN HERE.
YOU KNOW, I GREW UP IN IRVINGTON, AND I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER, I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER, UH, BEING IN EIGHTH GRADE AMERICAN HISTORY CLASS WHEN WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE TOWERS HAD BEEN ATTACKED.
AND IT WAS ODD TO ME TO SEE AMERICAN HISTORY CHANGING BEFORE MY EYES AS WE WERE SITTING IN AMERICAN HISTORY CLASS.
UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS, YOU KNOW, I HAVE THE GREAT HONOR TO BE THE FIRST ASIAN AMERICAN WESTCHESTER COUNTY LEGISLATOR.
AND, UH, IN AN EVENT FOR ASIAN AMERICANS INVOLVED IN POLITICS, AND THAT'S A GENTLEMAN NAMED, UH, DR. GORDON.
WE, HE'S A CHINESE AMERICAN DOCTOR.
HE WAS, HE WAS AN ORTHOPEDIST WORKING UPTOWN.
BUT ON THAT FABLE DAY, HE WAS DOWNTOWN.
HE WAS GOING TO GO VISIT A FRIEND OF HIS AT A DIFFERENT HOSPITAL DOWNTOWN.
AND HE HAD GROWN UP IN CHINATOWN, AND AS HE PUT IT, CHINA, UH, CHINATOWN AND THE FINANCIAL DISTRICT WAS HIS PLAYGROUND.
AND WHEN HE WAS A KID, HE WOULD PLAY IN THE FOUNTAINS OUTSIDE OF, UH, THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.
AND HE WAS SAYING THAT HE SAW THE TOWER'S HEAD, AND AS A DOCTOR, AND ACTUALLY AS A FORMER FIELD MEDIC, HE RAN TO, TO HELP THE TOWERS COME DOWN.
THE DUST SPREADS OUT, AND HE SEES MEN AND WOMEN LITERALLY FALL ALL AROUND HIM.
AND HE'S COVERED IN DUST, BUT HE WANTS TO HELP HIM.
AND HE RUNS TO A HOSPITAL, THE CLOSEST HOSPITAL, AND HE'S COVERED IN DUST.
HE DOESN'T HAVE HIS DOCTOR'S JACKET ON HIS COAT ON, DOCTOR'S COAT ON.
WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP HIM? AND SO THEY PUT HIM INTO A LITERAL EMPTY CONFERENCE ROOM AND SAY, THEY SAY, SHOW UP PEOPLE AS THEY COME IN, 'CAUSE WE'RE EXPECTING CASUALTIES ANY SECOND.
SO HE HAS ONE PERSON COME IN, TWO PEOPLE, FOUR PEOPLE, 10 PEOPLE, SEWS THEM BACK OUT, SENDS THEM BACK OUT, BUT THEN NO ONE ELSE COMES.
AND HE WALKS OUT TO THE CONFERENCE ROOM AND HE SAYS, HEY, IS THERE, IS THERE ANYONE ELSE I'M AFRAID? AND THEY SAID, THERE'S NO ONE ELSE COMING, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE, THERE WERE NO SURVIVORS FROM THAT DAY.
WE, HE WENT TO HIS LOCAL CHURCH IN CHINATOWN, WHICH HE WENT TO AS A KID.
AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE THERE ON THAT LEVEL, YOU'LL REMEMBER THAT THE CELL TOWERS WERE ON THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.
SO ALL CELL SERVICE WENT DOWN WITH THE TOWERS.
AND SO HE WENT TO THIS CHURCH AND HIS FATHER HAD BEEN TRYING TO CONTACT HIM, BUT THE CELL PHONES WEREN'T WORKING.
SO HIS FATHER KNEW THAT IF HIS SON WAS GONNA GO ANYWHERE, HE WAS GONNA GO TO THIS CHURCH, THE, THERE, THE CHURCH THAT HE GREW UP IN.
AND HE LEFT A MESSAGE AT THE CHURCH SAYING, YOUR SISTER WAS AT THE WORLD WINDOWS OF THE WORLD RESTAURANT THIS MORNING.
AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HER.
AND SURE ENOUGH, SHE PASSED AWAY.
AND SO DR. WHITE LIKES TO SAY HE'S THE ONLY TRIPLE THAT HE KNOWS OF COMING OUT NINE 11, WHERE HE WAS A SURVIVOR, A FAMILY MEMBER, AND A RESCUE WORKER ALL AT ONCE.
AND SURE ENOUGH, RIGHT NOW HE HAS NINE 11 RELATED CANCER.
UM, AND SO HE IS TRYING RIGHT NOW TO TELL HIS STORY
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TO EVERYONE, WHICH IS HOW I ENCOUNTERED HIM.AND TRYING TO RELAY A STORY THAT WE CANNOT FORGET, WE MUST NOT FORGET, BUT WHICH WE ARE SEEING BEFORE OUR EYES THAT PEOPLE ARE FORGETTING IT.
YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT HE SAID, AND ONE THING I I AGREED WITH WAS, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE HERE REMEMBERS THAT SENSE OF UNITY THAT CAME OUT OF NINE 11.
I DON'T THINK ANYONE CAN ARGUE THAT THAT SENSE OF UNITY CONTINUES TO DEATH.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, AT MOMENTS, ESPECIALLY LIKE AFTER YESTERDAY, I THINK ABOUT, UH, THE QUOTE FROM LINCOLN'S FIRST INAUGURAL ADDRESS, RIGHT? THAT WE ARE NOT ENEMIES BUT FRIENDS AND WE MUST NOT BE ENEMIES.
UH, AND THAT WHILE PASSION MAY HAVE STRAIN, MUST NOT BREAK OUR BONDS OF AFFECTION.
AND THAT THE MYSTIC CHORUS OF MEMORY COMING FROM EVERY PATRIOT'S GRAVE AND EVERY BATTLEFIELD ON OUR GREAT, UH, IN OUR GREAT NATION, MAY YET SWELL THE CHORUS OF THE UNION WHEN AGAIN TOUCHED AS SURELY IT WILL BE BY THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE.
AND THEIR LINCOLN WAS SAYING THAT WE CANNOT LET POLITICS DIVIDE US.
WE CANNOT LET POLITICS DRIVE VIOLENCE BETWEEN US.
RIGHT? AND THAT IS WHAT I REMEMBER COMING OUT NINE 11.
AND THAT IS WHAT I REMEMBER IN LISTENING TO DR. GORDON WADE'S STORY, BECAUSE HE DID NOT SEW UP PEOPLE TO, FOR THIS TO HAPPEN.
HIS SISTER DIDN'T DIE FOR THIS TO HAPPEN.
HE DOES NOT HAVE NINE 11 CANCER FOR THIS TO HAPPEN.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING OUT TODAY, AND THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT VERY MOVING STORY.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WANTS TO SHARE THOUGHTS, REMINISCENCES MEMORIES? IT'S DARK SO NO ONE WILL SEE YOU IF YOU ARE TALKING.
CAREFUL COMING DOWN THE STAIRS.
ALRIGHT, YOU GOTTA STEP RIGHT THERE.
I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER THAT DAY WORKING IN ORLEY AND CONSTANTLY HEARING SIRENS GOING DOWN THE THROUGHWAY AND, UM, SPENDING THE WHOLE DAY AT THE FIREHOUSE.
I KNOW A BUNCH OF GUYS ENDED UP GOING DOWN, I BELIEVE THE YONKERS RACEWAY WITH THE, UH, WITH ONE OF THE ENGINES.
BUT DID ANYBODY HERE TODAY LISTEN TO 89.1 WFDU? UH, IF YOU REMEMBER, JUDY DANGELO, WHO I ALWAYS THOUGHT WAS ON CBS AM WAS WITH 10 10 INS AT THE TIME.
AND THEY, THEY HAD A GREAT SHOW TODAY ABOUT, UH, THE COURSE OF THE DAY.
AND ONE OF THE STORIES THAT CAME OUT WAS ABOUT A WOMAN THAT WORKED AT CANNER FITZGERALD AND HAD TROUBLE WITH HER DESK, AND SHE KEPT RIPPING HER PANTYHOSE AND ALL THE OTHER GIRLS AROUND SHAMED HER.
AND SO SHE LEFT THE BUILDING EARLY IN THE MORNING TO GO TO DWAYNE REED TO GET A NEW PAIR OF PANTYHOSE.
NEVER MADE IT BACK INTO THE BUILDING AND SURVIVED ALL HER COWORKERS DIED.
BUT I CAN REMEMBER ONE YEAR TO THE DAY, EVERYONE BEING HERE IN UNIFORM AND, UH, IT'S REALLY HARD TO, YOU KNOW, TO THINK ABOUT IT IN ALL PEOPLE WE LOST.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE? THOUGHTS? I WOULD PLEASE.
UM, I WAS ONE OF THE SEVERAL MEN WHO VOLUNTEERED THAT DAY.
THE TONES WENT OFF SOON AFTER THE, THE BUILDINGS WERE STRUCK AND WE WERE TOLD TO MEET OUT IN FRONT OF, UH, 45, SORRY, 44.
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UH, CHIEF GENTILLY SAID, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON, BUT WE NEED VOLUNTEERS.UH, FROM 46, THERE WERE SEVERAL GUYS, BUT I ESPECIALLY REMEMBER MY BUDDY LARRY, LARRY GRINDER.
WE WENT HOME, WE WERE ASKED TO CHECK WITH OUR SPOUSES, MAKE SURE THAT THEY, THEY WERE ON BOARD WITH THIS 'CAUSE WE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE WE WERE GONNA BE DEPLOYED THAT DAY.
CAME BACK WITH OUR GEAR, HOPPED ON AN ENGINE, WENT TO THE COUNTY CENTER WHERE THERE WERE LOTS OF OTHER ENGINES AND LOTS OF COMMOTIONS AND LOTS OF CHIEFS, AND EVERYBODY WAS BEING ASSIGNED.
SO WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY IS THAT BECAUSE NEW YORK CITY FIREFIGHTERS WENT TO GROUND ZERO AS VOLUNTEERS TOOK THEIR PLACE.
UH, AND WE WERE STATIONED IN THE BRONX, UH, I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NAME OF THE ENGINE IN, IN, UH, LADDER COMPANY.
WE SPENT THE WHOLE DAY IN THE BRONX.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, I WAS PRAYING THERE WASN'T GOING TO BE AN APARTMENT FIRE IN THE BRONX.
SEVERAL GUYS AT THAT COMPANY IN THE BRONX LOST.
THEY LOST SEVERAL GUYS AT, UH, GROUND ZERO THAT DAY.
AFTER SPENDING 12 HOURS IN THE BRONX.
WE WERE THEN DEPLOYED TO THE COUNTY CENTERS, AS NICK SAID, AT AROUND 10 OR 12 AT NIGHT.
I CAN'T REMEMBER THE TIME, BUT I HAVE TO SAY IT WAS QUITE AN EXTRAORDINARY SITE.
'CAUSE APPARATUS OF ALL KINDS FROM ALL OVER NEW ENGLAND WERE PARKED AT THE COUNTY CENTER.
IT WAS LIKE A STEVEN SPIELBERG SCENE, YOU KNOW, LIKE APPARATUS GOING ON FOREVER INTO THE DISTANCE.
UM, THERE WERE MORE APPARATUS THERE THAN MOST COUNTRIES HAVE EVENTUALLY THAT, UM, AND WE SPENT THE, THE NEXT, YOU KNOW, FOUR HOURS THERE UNTIL WE WERE TOLD WE COULD GO HOME ANYWAYS, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SAYING THIS BECAUSE I'M TRYING TO BE SOME KIND OF HERO BECAUSE I'M NOT.
I REALLY JUST HUNG OUT IN THE BRONX ALL DAY.
UM, AND, AND, UM, IT WAS A, A VERY POWERFUL, VERY MEANINGFUL AND SAD DAY.
IS IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WANTS TO SHARE THOUGHTS? UH, THANKS NICK AND STEVE FOR, UH, BREAKING THE SEAL ON FIREFIGHTERS TALKING.
I'M A SECOND LIEUTENANT IN ENGINE 46.
UH, 24 YEARS AGO ON THIS DAY, I WAS A NEW YORK CITY POLICE OFFICER AND, UH, RESPONDED TO GROUND ZERO.
AND IT WAS A DISORGANIZED MESS.
AND I HAVE REALLY STRONG MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT THE ENTIRE THING BECAUSE IT FORGED FRIENDSHIPS WITH OTHER POLICE OFFICERS THAT I DON'T THINK WOULD'VE BEEN FORGED OTHERWISE.
FRIENDS TO THIS DAY, WE ALL WENT THROUGH THAT TOGETHER, BUT I KNOW THAT IS JUST A REFLECTION ON WHAT IT SORT OF FORGED AMONGST ALL OF US AS A NATION AND A PEOPLE.
AS OUR, UH, VERY, UH, ELOQUENT LEGISLATOR WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, A LOT OF THAT, UH, THOSE BONDS HAVE BEEN SQUANDERED.
SO I STAND HERE WITH MIXED FEELINGS, LOOKING BACK ON A TIME THAT WHILE IT WAS ONE OF THE WORST THINGS THAT EVER HAPPENED TO US, THERE WAS A SIMPLE CLARITY OF A COMMON ENEMY WE ALL HAD AND A COMMON MISSION.
AND SETTING ALL THAT ASIDE AND JUST LOOKING AT WHERE WE ARE TODAY WITH EACH OTHER IN THIS COMMUNITY.
I'M A NO LONGER A POLICE OFFICER, BUT MORE A GRATEFUL RESIDENT OF A COMMUNITY THAT KNOWS HOW TO TALK TO EACH OTHER, KNOWS HOW TO LISTEN TO EACH OTHER, KNOWS HOW TO FIGURE OUT DISAGREEMENTS IN A CIVIL WAY, STILL PRACTICES THAT ART STILL STRUGGLES TOGETHER, STILL GOES THROUGH HARD THINGS TOGETHER, STILL GETS SCARED TOGETHER THAT OUR KIDS GET HURT FROM AN ACID SPILL AT THE SCHOOL.
OR A TERRIBLE FIRE JUST A HALF BLOCK AWAY IN THIS PARKING LOT THAT KILLED SOMEONE JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO.
ALL THESE THINGS ARE STILL HAPPENING TO US, BUT WE'RE STILL HERE.
WE STILL CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER.
WE STILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO REFLECT ON THIS FANTASTIC CITY THAT WE GET TO LIVE NEXT TO AND POSSIBLY COMMUTE TO AND FROM EVERY
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DAY.SO TO ME, MIXED FEELINGS ASIDE, I FEEL A SWELL OF PRIDE ON THIS DAY.
NOT FOR THE FRIENDS I WORKED WITH WHO ARE SOME HAVE DIED DUE TO NINE 11 RELATED ILLNESS, BUT SOME WHO ARE STILL ON THE JOB AND SOME HAVE GONE OFF TO DO GREAT THINGS, OR THE PRIDE I HAVE IN MY OWN SERVICE ON THAT DAY, OR THE PRIDE I HAVE LOOKING AT THE FELLOW FIREFIGHTERS, EMS WORKERS AND POLICE OFFICERS WHO RESPOND TO EMERGENCIES ALL THE TIME IN THIS VILLAGE COME WHAT MAY WHATEVER DANGER AWAITS US, WHATEVER AWFULNESS IS THERE TOMORROW, WE HAVE TODAY.
AND THAT, THAT IS WHAT I'M GRATEFUL FOR.
AND I'M GRATEFUL THAT YOU WOULD LIST.
LET ME SPEAK HERE AND SHARE THAT REFLECTION.
THANK YOU, ED, UM, FOR THAT BEAUTIFUL MESSAGE OF UNITY AND CONNECTION.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SPEAK? YOU CAN HEAR ME.
UM, MY NAME IS EILEEN FORBES WATKINS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HELPING ME DOWN HERE.
I, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT, UM, UH, FOR THE LAST 11 YEARS, I HAVE BEEN A VOLUNTEER FOR THE LAST 11 YEARS.
I'VE BEEN A, A VOLUNTEER DOCENT AT THE NINE 11 MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM.
UM, MY STORY, MY NINE 11 STORY IS, UM, BASICALLY IT'S THE FACT THAT I, YOU KNOW, I I WAS NOT AT THE TRADE CENTER.
I WAS ACTUALLY ON THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE HEADING FOR WORK IN BROOKLYN WHEN I HEARD ABOUT IT ON THE RADIO.
SO I WAS, I FRANKLY, I THINK MINUTES AWAY FROM, FROM WHAT WAS HAPPENING, UH, BUT I WAS FACING BROOKLYN.
UH, MY MEMORIES ARE THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, I SAW THE FIRST RESPONDERS LITERALLY POURING OUT OF BROOKLYN, UM, INTO MANHATTAN AS I WAS HEADING FOR WORK.
UM, AND OF COURSE THAT, UM, AFTERNOON, UH, TRAFFIC WAS NOT ALLOWED BACK INTO MANHATTAN.
SO I WENT ACROSS THE BARNO BRIDGE, AND OF COURSE, FROM THE BRIDGE, YOU CAN, UH, LOOK ACROSS THE BAY AND SEE WHAT, WHAT I SAW THAT AFTERNOON WERE THE PLUMES OF SMOKE.
UM, I THINK WHAT I REALLY WANNA SAY HERE IS THAT HAVING BEEN A VOLUNTEER AT THE MUSEUM FOR 11 YEARS NOW, I, I WANNA ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GO THERE.
UM, FRANKLY, WE, WE GET A LOT MORE FOREIGN VISITORS THAN WE DO AMERICANS.
UM, AND, AND CERTAINLY THE MINORITY REALLY IS NEW YORKERS, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF REASONS WHY NEW YORKERS ARE HESITANT TO GO THERE, BUT IT'S, IT'S SUCH A POWERFUL EXPERIENCE.
UM, YESTERDAY WAS A LITTLE MORE EMOTIONAL THAN IT USUALLY IS FOR ME, FRANKLY.
YOU KNOW, AGAIN, HAVING BEEN THERE FOR 11 YEARS, UM, I'M A LITTLE IN YOUR TO IT.
UM, YOU KNOW, YOU REPEAT KIND OF THE SAME STORIES OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
AND, UM, BUT, BUT IT WAS DIFFERENT YESTERDAY.
I, I, YOU KNOW, MY COLLEAGUES WERE EVEN SAYING THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THE AIR.
UM, PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD KNOW WHERE THEY WERE THAT DAY.
UM, THEY WANT TO TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY WERE THAT DAY.
THEY WANT TO RELATE THEIR STORIES, THEY WANT YOUR STORY WORRY.
AND, UM, AND, AND IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN THERE, I I, I JUST ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO IT.
UM, I, I I THINK YOU'LL BE, YOU'LL BE SURPRISED YOU'LL COME AWAY WITH SUCH A MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCE.
IS THIS LOUD ENOUGH? BECAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO STRAIN.
LIKE I WAS IN THE BACK TRYING TO LISTEN.
I WAS ONE OF THE RELUCTANT NEW YORKERS WHO DIDN'T GO TO THE NINE 11 MUSEUM UNTIL TWO YEARS AGO BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO FACE IT.
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DOCENT WHO JUST SPOKE YOU, YOU REALLY SHOULD GO.YOU WILL EXPERIENCE IT IN A VERY DIFFERENT WAY AS YOU REFLECT ON WHAT HAPPENED OVER TIME.
NOW, I'M KIND OF COMING AS AN EDUCATOR.
I'VE TAUGHT FOR OVER 40 YEARS IN 15 DIFFERENT SCHOOLS.
AND WHAT'S ENCOURAGING IS THAT THEY'RE TRAINING TEACHERS, HISTORY TEACHERS ABOUT THE EVENT.
AND A LOT OF THEM WERE FOUR OR FIVE YEARS OLD WHEN IT HAPPENED.
AND I'M THINKING, HOW ARE THEY GONNA EXPLAIN THE IMPACT WHEN THEY'RE LOOKING AT IT, THEIR MEMORY, OR MAYBE THEY WERE IN THIRD GRADE OR FOURTH GRADE OR FIFTH GRADE, THEY HAD REALLY NO IDEA.
YOU HAVE HISTORY TEACHERS TALKING ABOUT WORLD WAR II, WORLD WAR I, CIVIL WAR.
THEY'RE NOT THERE, BUT YOU CAN GATHER INFORMATION AND READ, UH, YOU KNOW, ORIGINAL REFLECTIONS AND INCORPORATED INTO YOUR CURRICULUM.
SO I THINK IT WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE GETTING ALL THESE TEACHERS TOGETHER.
AND THEY GATHERED FOR SEVERAL WEEKS OVER THE SUMMER IN NEW YORK CITY, AND WERE AT THE MEMORIAL AND THE MUSEUM AND SO FORTH, AND TRYING TO EXPERIENCE IT FROM A DISTANCE 20, 24 YEARS LATER.
SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THEY GET THE IMPACT AND THEY SHARE IT WITH THEIR STUDENTS.