9/11 remembered in Brightwaters: Planting flags in honor of the dead 

Honoring the lives lost and the lives changed forever by the 9/11 attacks was a simple, heartfelt affair in the Village of Brightwaters on Sunday morning.

Dozens gathered at the head of the village canal to plant 3,000 American flags — the approximate number of people who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, including at least one from Brightwaters — on the Ackerson Plaza lawn surrounding a brick walkway dedicated to military veterans.

Mayor John Valdini asked participants to spread the flags out and pointed out a bag for any that may be damaged.

"Whatever help you could give us today," Valdini said, "I appreciate it."

The village has been recruiting residents to plant flags as a memorial each September since 2021.

This year was the first attended by Brightwaters resident Ken Summers, 74, who worked on the 27th floor of the north tower for Empire BlueCross BlueShield on the day of the attacks.

Summers said he had just exited the elevator into the lobby when the first plane hit at 8:46 a.m.

"We all looked around and said, ‘What happened outside?’ We thought maybe there was a truck accident," he said. "It wasn’t until I stepped outside to go out and all my friends who were out there were running and they pointed up and said ‘Look out!’ "

Summers fled back to the building to avoid falling debris and, as he was in a revolving door, a fireball barreled out of the elevators and swept him into the street.

"It’s emotional, to see all these people come out and do all this," Summers said, before noting a "waning interest" in Sept. 11 each year as a day of memorial.

Speaking about his experiences is therapeutic for Summers, who plans to address attendees at a 9/11-related village event on Sept. 18. He isn’t sure how many people will attend.

"I think people are kind of 9/11-ed out, to be perfectly honest," he said. "It’s funny, it comes in waves. One minute, everybody’s patriotic, waving the flag ... and then all of a sudden that disappears."

Brooke Pitta of Brightwaters also said she’s noticed fewer people attending 9/11 events each year.

Pitta is married to an FDNY firefighter who lost friends and colleagues in the attacks. The couple attends multiple events each year with their two daughters, who were among a handful of Girl Scouts who volunteered at the ceremony Sunday.

"Especially for New Yorkers, everyone was affected in some way or another," Pitta said. "Sadly, like the girls said as soon as we got out of the car, ‘Hey, Mom, where are all the people from last year?’ "

Stefan Hespeler, 44, and his wife, Jenny, 47, who live in Brightwaters and attended the event Sunday, were in their 20s when the Twin Towers fell. The attacks moved many people their age to join the military at the time, both recalled.

Hespeler said his twin brother, Justin Hespeler, served in the Marine Corps during 9/11 and is now a lieutenant for the FDNY. 

The couple remained civilians but, moved by an "appreciation for those who serve our military," and after learning of high suicide rates among veterans, they felt compelled to do something. In 2020, the Hespelers founded the nonprofit Operation Vest to help address the high rate of veteran suicide.

More than 20 veterans die by suicide daily, Stefan Hespeler said, and "a lot of those that were dying by suicide were those that fought during the Iraq war."

By Brianne Ledda

brianne.ledda@newsday.com@brianne_ledda

Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.