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Unspeakable horror enveloped us
seven years ago and we were changed forever … as a country …
as individuals. On that fateful morning seven years ago, the
sky never looked more beautiful – an ideal blue sky was
dotted with white puffy clouds and the day held promise; by
day’s end it would be the promise to ‘Never Forget’.
On September 11, 2008 an intimate group of Sayville
residents, gathered at the Common Ground as the sun went
down, to remember … We remembered our Nation’s heroes who
perished at the Pentagon, in a field in Pennsylvania, and in
downtown New York City. We also remembered our fallen
neighbors – Brendan McCabe, Richard Prunty and Lincoln
Quappe.
The sensitive and socially aware students of the Sayville
High School Community Service Group were in attendance and
quietly, respectfully handed out candles for the service;
Jesse Collin played ‘Amazing Grace’ on the bagpipes;
vocalist Michele O’Keffe sang ‘God Bless America’ and
‘Amazing Grace’; Deacon LaBella (St. Lawrence the Martyr RC
Church) spoke from his heart, and Firefighter Chuck Jones
shared a poignant and personal perspective about the men
from Sayville who perished that day.
The students of the High School’s Community Service Group
were in the fourth and fifth grades seven years ago. Their
memories are of being kept in school, unaware of the
devastating events taking place, because of a ‘pollen alert’
… ‘a bee problem’. School officials had made the decision to
not tell the children about the attacks, however the
teachers ‘knew something’ … The students I spoke with
remembered the day, but they didn’t really understand what
it was all about. However, the grief their parents exhibited
in the days to come made an unforgettable impression on the
children – that is how they remember 9/11 – by their
parent’s tears.
In closing, our Common Ground Park is the ‘silver lining
from the dark cloud of that day’. This Park was designed as
a memorial to those who perished on September 11, 2001. Cary
Maya, a Sayville ‘treasure’ and gifted writer, wrote the
verse on the commemorative rock, which graces the Candee
Avenue entrance to the Park:
‘This precious park, conceived in the wake of September 11,
2001, is lovingly offered and maintained by the Community.
May it stand as a breathing testament to the infinite
possibilities present when good people cherish the entire
village as home and their neighbor as family. Like the
splendid gardens it houses may it flourish and grow.’
We will never forget … God Bless America …We are the Land of
the Free because of the Brave. Amen.
Contact the writer, Ginnie Moore:
gmoorecalla@optonline.net
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