9/11 ceremonies across Long Island, from Point Lookout to Riverhead, remember those lost

William Steckman of West Hempstead used to love taking his children to the beach at Point Lookout, when it had a direct view of the World Trade Center.

On Monday, Steckman's daughters, Diana DeVito of Merrick and Donna Steckman of Massapequa, returned to the South Shore oasis to remember their late father, who was working for NBC on the 104th floor of the north tower on Sept. 11, 2001. His remains were found six months later.

Taking part in Monday's 22nd anniversary ceremony at Town Park at Point Lookout, “reminds us of the happy memories we had with him,” Donna Steckman said.

A moment to remember

From Great Neck to Riverhead and points across Long Island, people took a moment Monday to remember the nearly 3,000 victims during the nation's worst terror attack, and the toll in lives it has taken in the years since.

They performed familiar, somber rituals: reading aloud the names of the dead, laying wreaths, tolling bells and observing moments of silence.    

Moments after American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767, struck the trade center's north tower, shaken residents of the beachfront community gathered to watch plumes of smoke rise from what soon became known as Ground Zero.

Many of those same residents returned Monday with white carnations to drop in the surf.

SEE PHOTOSPhotos: LIers observe the 22nd anniversary of 9/11/2001

A somber mood

The ceremony struck a somber mood — with a moment of silence, the tolling of a bell, and a bagpipe rendition of “Amazing Grace.” Greeters held out tissues. When a choir sang “The Star-Spangled Banner,” onlookers hummed along.

Joe Hatzelman, 30, of East Northport, was among the speakers. In 2020, 9/11-related cancer killed his father, Joseph, a firefighter who responded to the attacks.

“Today should not be a day of sadness and sorrow, or rehashing bad memories,” Hatzelman said. “Today, we should feel proud that we knew these men and women … Today we should remember the positive impact that they have in our lives, as well as others.”

Nearly 500 Long Islanders were among the 2,753 people killed when al-Qaida militants flew two commercial jets into the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. Hundreds more were killed in crashes of hijacked planes at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., and in a field in Shanksville, Pa.

Even more have died since, including first responders like Hatzelman's father, and other survivors felled by cancers contracted after inhaling noxious dust at Ground Zero during the early, desperate days of rescue and months of cleanup.

The total number of FDNY members lost to illnesses connected to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks totaled 341 last week, just two shy of matching the number of department personnel killed when the Twin Towers collapsed.

A growing list of names

Nesconset’s 9/11 Responders Remembered Park, which memorializes responders who died of 9/11-related diseases, already has more than 2,000 names, said John Feal, a former demolition supervisor at Ground Zero who helped create the monument.

“This year I’m adding 359," he said.

In Calverton, two dozen people gathered at the Riverhead World Trade Center Memorial to remember the firefighters, cops and other first responders who died in the attacks.

“They left home not knowing they would never return home to hug their loved ones or continue on with their lives,” said Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar, who was an NYPD sergeant on 9/11.

A row of United States flags lined the perimeter of Riley Avenue around the memorial site. Flowers were placed in front of a plaque that read: “In memory of those who perished and served at the World Trade Center, Sept. 11, 2001.”

Spearheading the project was Hal Lindstrom, 75, of Calverton. Lindstrom recalled Monday how he woke one morning not long after the attacks and told his wife he was going to build a memorial. He drew two circles on a piece of paper and brought it to Riverhead's Town Hall as an initial blueprint.

Visions of a memorial

Lindstrom, a retired nature photographer, saw his vision for a memorial become a reality one year after the attacks.

Bob Brucker, 76, attended the Calverton ceremony with his wife, Francesca, 65. The Hampton Bays couple were both educators in New York City on 9/11.

Bob Brucker recalled being at a school in Flushing and, from a playground on an upper floor of the building, being able to see the billowing smoke.

“Couldn’t believe it," Francesca Brucker said, "because we saw the towers being built."

Former Riverhead Councilman Jim Wooten led a prayer to remember those killed.

“We also struggle even now with the lives that were lost and those who valiantly responded and willingly put themselves in harms way and paid the ultimate cost,” he said.

Further north, Temple Israel of Great Neck held an outdoor ceremony Monday night on a bridge in the city that, like Point Lookout, once had a direct view of the Twin Towers.

And just as in Point Lookout, people gathered at the bridge 22 years ago to watch the unfolding scene to the west.

Making sense of the senseless

The featured speaker at the service was Zach Goldfarb of Great Neck, the former deputy chief of the New York City Emergency Services, who played a key role in coordinating EMS services at the scene more than two decades ago.

Bay Shore resident Lorraine George recalled being in Times Square the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, trying to make sense of what had just happened several miles south in lower Manhattan.

Ash-like particles were floating in the air. The city was on lockdown. Bridges and tunnels were barricaded off. No one was allowed in or out. George couldn’t get back to Long Island in her car for hours.

“It was eerily quiet. There were no cars. No planes. Just silence,” she said. “Probably the quietest New York City ever was.”

On Monday, George, 59, sat in the last row of a 9/11 memorial service at Islip Veterans Memorial Park. It was the ninth year running she had attended, since moving back to Long Island after living away for a decade.

In the back of the crowd George silently paid tribute to those who died and recalled memories that still haunt her.

“It was just surreal. I didn’t even understand what was happening,” George said. Even 22 years later, she said, “I can’t get past the sadness.”

Never forget

Dozens of residents, along with scores of firefighters and other officials, attended the ceremony next to a black stone listing the names of the 90 Islip town residents killed in the attacks.

A fire department marching band played “When the Saints Come Marching In” as they proceeded down Main Street and onto the green where the park stands. In front of the black memorial stone stood a recovered piece of the north tower.

“We took a vow never to forget," said NYPD Det. Robert Schierenbeck, who lives in East Islip. "That’s why I’m here — to honor the memories” of those lost. 

He recalled that he rushed into the city the day after the attack to work even though he was recovering from a broken leg.

Rabbi Shimon Stillerman of Chabad of Islip told the crowd that even though the attacks occurred more than two decades ago, the world is still caught in a battle of good versus evil.

We are experiencing “an epic battle between the forces of darkness and the forces of light,” he said. “Between those who wish to enforce upon all of us a repressive, corrupt and dark way of life, and those who wish to keep alive and well a world that follows the universal code of morality, freedom and ethics, a world of goodness and kindness.”