Mayor William Reichelt tells attendees at West Springfield’s annual 9/11 remembrance ceremony to share their stories of the day with the younger generations.
Reminder Publishing photo by Tyler Lederer
WEST SPRINGFIELD — On Sept. 11, 2001, 23 years ago, West Springfield Veterans Services Director Marc Massey was in Bosnia and Herzegovina on a peacekeeping mission. As soon as he could, he called Westover Air Reserve Base and asked the operator for his father. The operator initially wouldn’t connect him because of the attacks.
“Sir, I’m 4,000 miles away. I just need to let my family know I’m OK,” he remembers saying.
The operator gave him five minutes, he said.
Reminder Publishing photo by Tyler Lederer
Massey was one of several speakers at the town’s annual 9/11 remembrance ceremony who shared their memories of the attack that killed almost 3,000 people, including West Springfield native Melissa Harrington-Hughes.
Massey said Harrington-Hughes was on the 101st floor of the North Tower on a one-day business trip with the Department of Commerce. One of her final thoughts, he said, was to call her father.
Speakers honored the ordinary citizens and first responders who performed acts of courage and heroism that day, as well as those who enlisted and fought in the War on Terror that followed.
Police Chief Jay Gearing remembered seeing flags at half-staff and residents lining their properties with ribbons. He said West Springfield is a town that never forgets, not only the day but the strength residents found in each other afterwards.
“May we always be a town that remembers, forever vigilant and forever united,” he said.
Fire Chief C.J. Bartone said that, in the face of terrorism, Americans stood by each other and reaffirmed their values as a nation.
“In the days and months that followed, our differences disappeared,” he said. “We were not divided by race, religion or politics. There was no aisle by which one would stand by either the left or the right side.”
Jeff Zaleski, commander of American Legion Post 207, called for attendees to continue to cultivate that legacy of unity. He also said that the lessons learned from the attacks should guide their actions.
“Let us stand against hatred and division, nurturing a society where compassion thrives and we embrace our differences rather than fear them,” he said.
He also had a message for those who lost a loved one.
“Your loved ones are not forgotten,” he said. “Their memories live on in the stories you share, the laughter and tears that fill your homes and the love that surrounds you. We stand with you in your grief, committed to honoring their legacy by fostering a world filled with patriotism.”
Mayor William Reichelt said he was in 10th grade in September 2001. Most students today, he said, learn about the attack as history, even those in graduating classes.
“Share those memories with someone who wasn’t there, who was too young to remember to make sure that they continue to carry this tradition forward and to show the region and the world what West Side spirit does,” he said.
Like Gearing, Reichelt characterized the town as one that never forgets, and thanked attendees for coming year after year to honor the deceased. Bob Harrington, father of Harrington-Hughes thanked the crowd, too.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to see Melissa or talk to her, but I just look at the crowd around me here and I know that it’s just a wonderful town,” he said. “I’m so happy that we settled here.”
