It’s been 11 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks, but the tragic events from that day have left an undercurrent of grief that lingers just underneath the surface of many communities in the Hudson Valley.
During Peekskill’s 9/11 memorial ceremony at Riverfront Green Park Tuesday, Mayor Mary Foster mentioned two names. One name was Sam Oitice, a Peekskill native and New York City firefighter who died while responding the initial attack on the World Trade Center.
The second name Foster mentioned was Charlie Wassil, a former detective with the Peekskill police department, who developed a respiratory illness after responding to Ground Zero to provide support after the attacks. Wassil was eventually forced to retire and is now hospitalized, according Wassil.
“”There have been fundraisers to help him cover his medical bills and things like that, but the illness is severe,” Foster said. “It’s a shame, because over the years we will lose so many firemen, police officers, EMTs and other medical professionals and volunteers who were down there for the weeks afterwards trying to rescue people.
A large crowd attended the ceremony, which concluded with the laying of five wreaths on the city’s 9/11 memorial. A few of the faces in the crowd weren’t even born when the attacks happened.
But the events still remain vivid and clear for many.
“It feels like it was only yesterday,” James Howard, deputy chief of the Peekskill fire department, said during the ceremony. “The sense of loss and the void that was created is as great today as it was 11 years ago. It’s still very personal to us. We often think about our brother Sam Oitice, who was killed in the south tower along with 15 of his brothers from ladder 454.”
Bishop Michael Champion, president of the Peekskill Area Pastors Association and the pastor of the Parroquia Católica San José in Montrose, was a first responder as priest at Ground Zero. Champion believes the effects of 9/11 has lingered in New York more than it has other areas of the country.
“We were hit harder and the memories are so much fresher here and a lot more memorable,” Champion said. It’s been 11 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks, but the tragic events from that day have left an undercurrent of grief that lingers just underneath the surface of many communities in the Hudson Valley.
During Peekskill’s 9/11 memorial ceremony at Riverfront Green Park Tuesday, Mayor Mary Foster mentioned two names. One name was Sam Oitice, a Peekskill native and New York City firefighter who died while responding the initial attack on the World Trade Center.
The second name Foster mentioned was Charlie Wassil, a former detective with the Peekskill police department, who developed a respiratory illness after responding to Ground Zero to provide support after the attacks. Wassil was eventually forced to retire and is now hospitalized, according Wassil.
“”There have been fundraisers to help him cover his medical bills and things like that, but the illness is severe,” Foster said. “It’s a shame, because over the years we will lose so many firemen, police officers, EMTs and other medical professionals and volunteers who were down there for the weeks afterwards trying to rescue people.”
A large crowd attended the ceremony, which concluded with the laying of five wreaths on the city’s 9/11 memorial. A few of the faces in the crowd weren’t even born when the attacks happened.
But the events still remain vivid and clear for many.
“It feels like it was only yesterday,” James Howard, deputy chief of the Peekskill fire department, said during the ceremony. “The sense of loss and the void that was created is as great today as it was 11 years ago. It’s still very personal to us. We often think about our brother Sam Oitice, who was killed in the south tower along with 15 of his brothers from ladder 454.”
Bishop Michael Champion, president of the Peekskill Area Pastors Association and the pastor of the Parroquia Católica San José in Montrose, was a first responder as priest at Ground Zero. Champion believes the effects of 9/11 has lingered in New York more than it has other areas of the country.
“We were hit harder and the memories are so much fresher here and a lot more memorable,” Champion said.
