East Longmeadow High School student Brenden Schmidt closed out the ceremony with a rendition of “Amazing Grace.”
Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy
EAST LONGMEADOW — The East Longmeadow Fire Department echoed in conversation between first responders, town officials and residents on Sept. 11, until the lights suddenly cut out and East Longmeadow High School student Brenden Schmidt filled the air with bagpipes in front of an American flag backdrop.
Schmidt’s music marked the beginning of the town’s annual candlelight vigil in remembrance of Sept. 11, 2001, 25 years later.
Fire Chief Christopher Beecher asked residents to light their candles before inviting Chaplain Tim Sheranko to bless the ceremony.
“Tonight we’re gathered to remember a day that forever changed our nation, touched the hearts of people all around the world, and it’s marked with unimaginable loss, deep sorrow, extraordinary courage and a reminder of how precious and fragile life truly is,” Sheranko said. “We remember the thousands of innocent lives that were taken so suddenly. We remember fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, husbands, wives, friends, coworkers, ordinary people who began their day unaware that their lives would soon become a part of history.”
Sheranko said to remember the first responders who ran toward danger while others ran away when remembering the day’s darkness.
Beecher said the vigil has been held every year since 2001 and is served to remember the lives lost on that day and in the years since.
“What started as a small group of firefighters, gathering to honor the lives lost that day, has turned into an annual event that, at times, has drawn as many as 300 people,” Beecher said. “Ceremonies like this one and hundreds like it all across the country help honor those lives.”
State Sen. Jake Oliveira said 10,000 deaths in lower Manhattan have been attributed to the air quality, life and conditions since Sept. 11, 2001.
Over 400,000 people were exposed to 352 harmful chemical agents in the dust and over 49,000 first responders and survivors have been diagnosed with World Trade Center Health-certified cancers, according to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
“Tens of thousands, a lot of them first responders, people who came to lower Manhattan in the days and weeks and months after 9/11, came to that site in order to help dig out through the rubble and to rebuild, and have been stricken with a lot of the illnesses that are taking lives to this day,” Oliveira said. “As we remember the 3,000 lives that were lost, whether it was in lower Manhattan, in the skies over Western Massachusetts where the first casualty of 9/11 actually occurred, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, or across the Potomac from Washington D.C. in northern Virginia at the Pentagon, we recognize the sacrifice that they made.”
He said vigils like the one in East Longmeadow are important because of the words, “never forget.” He noted that many of those becoming first responders or joining the military weren’t alive for 9/11, and ceremonies ensure young people never forget what happened 25 years ago.
“When we learned of the attacks of 9/11, we saw some of the worst that humanity had,” Oliveira said. “We saw acts of terror. Barbaric acts that took place in our skies, that took place in our cities, that took place in our government buildings. Out of that, we also had some of the best of humanity. People who stood up, people who put on the uniform just like these firefighters here in East Longmeadow when they saw both towers burning or the Pentagon on fire. They didn’t hesitate. They ran into danger, and that’s what people who put on the uniform do each and every day.”
He said if there’s any lesson we can learn from 9/11, it’s to model ourselves after the humanity of those who risked their lives to help their fellow man.
State Rep. Brian Ashe said he hopes younger generations don’t have to go through another tragedy like 9/11. He referenced Oliveira’s speech and said the worst in humanity brings out the best in humanity, but we shouldn’t have to wait for a tragedy to love and appreciate one another.
“It’s a little strange today that we remember the horrific acts of Sept. 11, and at the same time, we’re celebrating our 250th anniversary,” Ashe said. “One really detracts from the other. People tried to steal our democracy. They tried to take away our country and what we believe in, but we held strong. That’s why events like this remind us how important it is to be together, how important it is to come here every year and remember how important it is for the next generation to understand how important it is.”
Town Council President Ralph Page said he thought long and hard on what to say, but wanted to talk about one person in particular.
“I think sometimes when you talk about so many people, you lose sight of each individual,” Page said. “I’d like to bring up a name, Betty Ann Ong. Most of you have probably never heard this name. Betty Ann was a flight attendant on Flight 11 that left Boston that night. She was 25 years old. She was the first person to call to let the reservation area know that she felt as though that her flight had been hijacked. This is someone that stayed on the phone for over 27 minutes, describing everything that was happening … This is someone that most people don’t think about, but there’s 3,000 stories like this.”
Page said he hopes people can appreciate the lives lost and the stories a little bit more when it’s broken down to one story.
Town Manager Tom Christensen said there is an entire generation of Americans that can’t draw on the day’s emotional impact.
“It’s up to us to impart that on them,” Christensen said. “That’s why we are here. This is our charge, to pass the candle. We will never forget, because we the people, will not allow it.”
Beecher called firefighter Ed McCandlish to toll the bell 20 times, which signifies that a firefighter has come home.
McCandlish rang the bell for the firefighters who died in the line of duty, and just like the vigil had begun, Schmidt closed out with a rendition of “Amazing Grace”.
Top row, from left: An American flag stood tall over Somers Road outside of the East Longmeadow Fire Department. Fire Chief Christopher Beecher kicked off the vigil. Chaplain Tim Sheranko blessed the ceremony. Middle row, from left: Residents brought and lit candles in remembrance of lives lost. State Sen. Jake Oliveira spoke on the lives lost in the aftermath of 9/11. State Rep. Brian Ashe spoke on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 clashing with the nations 250th birthday. Bottom row, from left: Town Council President Ralph Page shared the story of Betty Ann Ong, a flight attendant on Flight 11. Town Manager Tom Christensen emphasized the importance of informing future generations on the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Reminder Publishing photos by Peter Tuohy
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