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NEW CANAAN, Conn. – For Margaret Sedlak of New Canaan, taking a moment to remember those lost in tragedy more than a decade ago will always be important.
“We can’t forget,” said Sedlak, one of the dozens of residents, town employees and emergency responders who gathered outside Vine Cottage Tuesday morning to honor those lost on Sept. 11, 2001. “We shouldn’t forget.”
Three New Canaan residents were among those who perished in New York when the Twin Towers came down. The ceremony featured solemn music played by bagpipe, prayers and a moment of silence.
It began at 9:59 a.m., the time the first tower fell. Police Chief Edward Nadriczny said the town comes together annually to remember the civilians and public servants who died that day. “We continue to honor the sacrifice made by our brothers and sisters in the fire, police and EMS service. We also remember the personal, national and community losses on that tragic day,” Nadriczny said.
First Selectman Robert Mallozzi III said, “This day still has deep and lasting memories for all of us.”
Tuesday’s event was also the first the town held with its new Sept. 11 memorial, which stands in front of the New Canaan Fire Department. The memorial includes a piece of steel from one of the towers. “It serves as a permanent reminder for not just us in town, but for all the visitors that come to town as to what happened that day and the sacrifices that were made,” Mallozzi said.
Mallozzi added that while the events of Sept. 11 were terrible, they did inspire people, himself included, to become involved in emergency service to protect the lives and property of their friends and neighbors.
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