story and photos by Christopher Martin,
Brockport Fire District PIO
Shortly after the sun rose over the 9/11 Memorial, Brockport Firefighters gathered with local police, emergency medical personnel, Cadets from the SUNY Brockport Army ROTC, and members of the greater Brockport community at the Firefighters Memorial Monument on Main Street in Brockport. They all came together to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the attacks on America in September of 2001.
The day began with an opening ceremony led by Past Chief Timothy Rombaut. Reflections and a prayer for the first responders and those in attendance were offered by Chaplain Michael Barbato, a NAVY veteran himself. The Army ROTC contingent ceremoniously lowered and removed the faded American flag and replaced it with a new one, raising it to full staff before lowering it to half staff for the day.
Firefighter Alan Way rang the memorial bell to commemorate the first tower strike and at the close of the ceremony, the honor guard took their place on the memorial where they would remain until the Ring of Gold at 6 p.m.
A combination of three or four first responders and civilians shared the responsibility of standing guard. They were rotated on and off the pedestal in five or ten-minute shifts over the nine hours of the vigil, saluting each other as they were relieved. Cards with clips bore the name, photo, and assignment of the 343 firefighters lost at FDNY. When the honor guard took their place, they clipped one of them to their uniform while they stood guard honoring the fallen. Once relieved, they read the name, and station assignment of their firefighter while ringing the memorial bell for them. Students from the Cornerstone Christian Academy took their turn honoring the fallen and learning more about 9/11.
The Ring of Gold began at 6 p.m. Command personnel from the participating agencies marched silently to their post and offered a final group salute for those lost that day and, in the days, weeks, and years to follow. Three hundred and forty-three were lost on 9/11 and over 360 have died from incident-related illnesses.
The closing ceremony started with a procession of first responders being led by a piper from Gates Police Pipes and Drums. An opening prayer with reflection was offered by Reverend Elizabeth Brooks Harden. Veteran Laura Heltz, Director of the Veterans Outreach Center in Rochester, was on hand to introduce the keynote speaker for the event. Dan Caster served in the United States Air Force before joining the intelligence community. He shared his experiences following the attacks of 9/11 chasing down the people that brought this evil upon our homeland, as he described it. Assemblyman Stephen Hawley also shared his thoughts of the day. The ceremony ended with the flag being raised back to full staff by US ARMY Major Trent Bailey while BHS Trumpeter Daniel Dailey played Taps.
