Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Remembering the Local Victims of 9/11

Eleven years later we remember those who lost their lives due to the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Yesterday I decided to visit a few memorials in the township of Smithtown to pay my respects to local victims.

Gardens of Remembrance
Just a few minutes away from my home is the H. Lee Dennison Building. Located on Route 454, the building features their Armed Forces Plaza which includes the Gardens of Remembrance. A memorial to 9/11 victims who once resided in Suffolk County, the structure is a large square of glass panels with a garden on the inside. While the garden is inaccessible, it creates a beautiful background for the panels. Each is etched with information about a different victim including their name, age at the time, occupation and town they resided in. The memorial is breathtaking any time of day, but when lit up at night, it becomes even more so.
 
Smithtown 9/11 Memorial
Right on Main Street in Smithtown is a memorial dedicated to residents of the town who lost their life that day. Next to the Cactus Day Salon residents will find a serene waterfall surrounded by a low wall. On the front of the wall a series of plaques display the names of the Smithtown victims and benches are located across from the waterfall for visitors to take in the simple yet beautiful dedication.
Responders Remembered Memorial Park
 
To honor the first responders in Suffolk County who lost their lives after 9/11, a memorial can be found on the corner of Smithtown Boulevard and Gibbs Pond Road in Nesconset. Many first responders have been diagnosed with different types of cancer throughout the last decade, and the marble walls are currently etched with 118 names. Members of the committee for the Responders Remembered Memorial Park are currently working on adding more names to ensure that all of the deceased responders from our county are honored.
Providing spots for locals to reflect on 9/11 on any day they choose, each of these memorials is beautifully designed to honor the victims so they will never be forgotten.  
Smithtown 9/11 Memorial
 
 

No comments:

Post a Comment