On the sixth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi will unveil a $2 million memorial - the largest in the nation to date - that honors the 344 Nassau County residents who lost their lives. The unveiling ceremony will be held at Eisenhower Park's Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre, across from the memorial, on Sunday, Sept. 9, at 10 a.m. All are welcome.

On March 11, 2003, President George W. Bush - along with then-Gov. George Pataki and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani - helped break ground for the memorial.

"The attacks of September 11 have left an indelible mark not just on our nation, but on our county, which lost 344 people," Suozzi said. "I can only hope that this memorial will lend some solace to the pain their families feel."

The memorial will feature a wall with the names of the 344 Nassau residents who died in the World Trade Center and on Flight 93, which crashed in Shanksville, PA. Some Nassau communities were hit particularly hard. Rockville Centre lost more than 20 people, while Garden City lost 19, Manhasset lost 17 and Valley Stream lost 14 residents.

"This memorial could not have been built without the commitment and dedication of all involved," said Janet Wexler-Magee, a Nassau County resident whose husband, Charles Magee, died in the World Trade Center's North Tower, where he worked on the 88th floor. Ms. Magee also served as a board member of the Nassau County Memorial Foundation. "I hope that everyone who lost someone on September 11, 2001 will find comfort in this memorial," she said.

Nearly five years ago, Suozzi formed the Nassau County 9/11 Memorial Foundation to fundraise and oversee construction of the memorial. A design contest was held to find the winning design. Since then, the foundation received financial support from the county and from hundreds of local residents and businesses. In addition, over 500 union members from Long Island's building trades volunteered thousands of hours to help build this memorial.

"The members of the building and construction trades unions and their signatory contractors, who volunteered their time, materials and expertise, have a personal commitment to this memorial and community," said Bobby Bonanza, president of Laborers' Local 66 and board member of the Nassau County Memorial Foundation. "Many of the members of our unions live and work in Nassau County, and each was affected in their own way by the events of 9/11. The 344 Nassau County residents killed on that tragic day were part of our family and community. The engineers, electricians, lathers, carpenters and laborers who labored to see this fitting memorial built are proud of their contribution. We will always remember."

The memorial features two semi-transparent aluminum towers, representing the World Trade Center towers, rising 30 feet from a fountain, and also contains two pieces of steel from the World Trade Center's wreckage.

The program for the unveiling will consist of various performances from children who lost parents on September 11, the reciting of the 344 names that are part of the Memorial as well as remarks from Suozzi.

"It is my hope that this memorial will help people to grieve and to make certain that the events of September 11 are always foremost in our thoughts and represent a day that will forever be marked as a turning point in American history," Suozzi said.