Simsbury Remembers 9/11 with Ceremony

The held a somber ceremony to honor and reflect upon the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 and the hundreds of people who lost their lives that day.

The ceremony, held at the main firehouse at 871 Hopmeadow Street, began at 8:30 a.m. and marked the events of the morning with speakers, song and moments of silence, concluding just after 10:28 a.m. when the last tower fell.

student Courtney Drummey sang the national anthem, followed by a prayer reading by Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company Chaplain Steve Behrens and an invocation by the Rev. Michael Whyte of in Simsbury.

Opening remarks were made by Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company President Jay Dixon, who also read the names of the those who died in the attacks from Connecticut throughout the morning.

Speakers referenced the sacrifice those in the emergency personnel services made and how the day changed the country forever. Speakers reminded us to never forget and to remember those who have been fighting around the globe to help make the world safer.

Dixon referred to it as a “decade of sacrifice.”

8:46 a.m. American Airlines flight 11 impacts north tower (WTC1).

Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company Chief James Baldis said it “seems like it was just yesterday.” A sentiment shared by many. He read a story written by a firefighter from Monroe, Michigan who was at the World Trade Center site starting on Sept. 12 for a week in order to help out.

While there he found the business card of a vice president at Cantor Fitzgerald, a company that lost 658 people in the south tower. This man was on the 104th floor. The story relates how the freighter got in touch with the man’s wife and family and eventually met them and gave them the business card. The man’s remains were not found at the time he wrote his story, and the business card is one of the few things the family has to hold onto from that day.

Lt. Nicholas Boulter of the gave detailed information about the World Trade Center Complex from its beginning, noting that on any given weekday the towers could have as many as 50,000 people in them. On Sept. 11, a total of 2,752 perished, most of them in the towers, specifically the north tower.

A total of 411 emergency workers who responded to the scene died as they tried to rescue people and fight fires. The New York City Fire Department lost 341 firefighters and two paramedics. The New York City Police Department lost 23 officers. The Port Authority Police Department lost 37 officers. Eight emergency medical technicians and paramedics from private emergency medical services units were killed.

9:03 a.m. United Airlines flight 175 impacts the south tower (WTC2).

Simsbury Police Chief Peter Ingvertsen said unlike the attack on Pearl Harbor of Dec. 7, 1941, the terrorists who attacked the U.S. are not operating under the flag of any one nation. He said what was being attacked that day was our way of life and the freedom of the U.S. He said we will never be able to explain the unexplainable but the American spirit is strong and continues to recover and move forward.

Some who spoke had connection to that day, such as President Peter Tedone who was scheduled to have a breakfast meeting Sept. 12, 2011 on the 107 floor of one of the towers.

He spoke of the men and women who their day job was as a trader or an analysts, but their vocation was as a local volunteer in an ambulance service and so these men and women sprung into action. They were people who lost their own lives while ushering others to safety.

“How do we honor these fallen colleagues?” he said. By training hard to be prepared to answer the call when needed, to commit themselves to their service as emergency personnel, to stare chaos in the face, bring order to chaos and to “stare fear in the face,” he said.

Simsbury High School student Emily Amarell sang “American the Beautiful” followed by Staff Sgt. Chris Evans, who recounted his Connecticut Army National Guard experience and his renewed participation after 9/11.

“I will never forget and I ask that you never forget,” he said.

Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company Assistant Chief Randy Chesanek talked about the Fire Department of New York’s operations that day and how more 200 units responded to the site of the attacks — about half of all the units in the city.

Chief Warrant Officer Jason Lill talked about his experience as a pilot on that day. He made trips back and forth to New York City. As he approached New York City the first time he said the smoke was everywhere.

“I had never seen anything like it,” said Lill, who has been to Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan on several tours of duty.

9:37 a.m. American Airlines flight 77 impacts the west side of the Pentagon.

First Selectmen Mary Glassman thanked the local emergency and safety personnel for all that they do everyday to keep Simsbury safe.

A recorded song, “Lift Every Voice for Freedom,” by Moses Hogan was played.

President Kevin North recounted the experience at the Pentagon. There were circumstances that kept the death toll from being higher such as the fact renovations were being done to the building so many people had been removed from the area and it was not the most populated part of the building to begin with.

9:59 a.m. Collapse of the south tower.

10:03 a.m. United Airlines flight 93 crashes, Shanksville, PA.

Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary President Jackie Battos talked about the men and women of Fight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania after the passengers tried to wrest control of the plane from the hijackers in order to prevent another attack. She noted the plane’s deep and wide impact into the field where it crashed and the calls made from the plane's air phones — 35 and from cell phones — two.

Chaplain Behrens again spoke toward the end of the service, noting that he should have been at a meeting on the 99th floor of one of the towers at 9 a.m., but instead was at a meeting in Minnesota.

“I could have been there too,” he said, adding he lost friends that day.

A recording of a Latin requiem Mass that was commissioned and written for the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 was played.

10:28 a.m. Collapse of north tower.

Len Bobinski played taps and Shane Ross and Nancy Fellinger played “Amazing Grace” on bagpipes. Rev. Whyte gave the benediction. Afterwards, many of those in attendance took a look at the piece of the World Trace Center that sits in the lobby of the firehouse. Refreshments were provide by the ladies auxiliary.