It is a sunny and pleasant late spring day and outside of the Nathan L.H. Bennett Pavilion at Hempstead Town Hall, the town's Bay Constables, fully clad in their uniforms, are exchanging pleasantries. Just a few minutes before, the Bay Constables, members of the Town of Hempstead's Conservation and Waterways Department, have just received the town's Distinguished Service Award for their service during the Sept. 11 crisis and the days following it. For the dozen honorees, the recognition is bittersweet since they would gladly trade it in for an uneventful Sept. 11, 2001.

On that historic day, the town's Bay Constables were called into action after the World Trade Center was struck. From their headquarters at Point Lookout, the officers used the town's 30-foot Boston Whaler to provide valuable transportation by water for rescue workers and medical personnel as well as transport supplies while the streets were in utter disarray.

Among those who were called into action were several local residents, including Lieutenant Robert Powell of Wantagh, Mike Moriarity of Wantagh (unable to attend ceremony), John Ferrar of Wantagh (unable to attend), Gordon Rieckhoff of Wantagh, Matthew Sohm of Seaford and Matthew Bernstein of Seaford.

The Bay Constables were called to the emergency by the New York City Harbor Command and the town officers proceeded to work 24-hour shifts, seven days a week for 15 days. The Town of Hempstead's Bay Constables transported everyone from the FBI to police officers and firefighters as well as supplies from a staging area at Chelsea Piers.

Town of Hempstead Supervisor Rich Guardino explained the importance of honoring these workers who went above and beyond the call of duty.

"The weeks following September 11 were a time when many heroes showed their strength and courage. It is a privilege for the Hemsptead Town Board to have the opportunity to recognize our town employees who demonstrated true dedication during this difficult time," the supervisor said.

Receiving the awards and a special video presentation shown during the ceremony conjured up the memories of Sept. 11, although images that are burned in these officers' minds aren't difficult to trigger.

"It still saddens me when I see the video they just showed. I still get emotional, said officer Jennifer Olivera of Lynbrook, who was among the four Bay Constables to first arrive at Ground Zero.

Olivera recalled the days working around the clock and the horrors she saw amid the rubble at Ground Zero. "You felt like you lived there. You didn't want to come back," she said.

The Bay Constables worked 24-hour shifts with a day off between each shift, part of which was spent sleeping. It was the type of dedication that may be difficult to comprehend, especially when the officers recall the surreal images of the disaster - the ash, scattered papers that not long before were stacked on desks, the body parts. "It looked like a movie set. It didn't seem real," said Olivera, who is also a volunteer firefighter and EMT who assisted in the rescue effort.

Those Bay Constables who were the first at Ground Zero were Matthew Sohm, James Scotti, Olivera and John Mulligan. Sohm remembers being in a class for various law enforcement agencies when the call first went off, signaling the start of 15 days worth of service during the most difficult of circumstances. "Everyone's beepers and cellphones started going crazy. Something was going on," said Sohm, a resident of Seaford.

From their Point Lookout headquarters, the plumes of smoke were evident. The Bay Constables loaded up their boat with their supplies. After first stopping at LaGuardia Airport to stand by and then about 8 p.m. that night, the team was at the Ground Zero site. "We just tried to help out any way we could, looking for any victims. We didn't find anybody and that was the tragedy of it," said Sohm.

"You reached down and picked up paper and it would be a trading form or a stock form and you would think that a short time ago, this was on somebody's desk," said officer Michael Brennan of Baldwin, one of the honorees.

Another of the honorees, Matthew Bernstein of Seaford, was off on Sept. 11, but came in early on Sept. 12 to help relieve some of those who had been working all night. Bernstein remembers bringing doctors and supplies into Ground Zero from Chelsea Piers. He remembers bringing a boatload of doctors from Chelsea Piers. "They were all kind of somber and then two hours later, we had to bring them back again. There was nobody to save. Either you walked away or you died," he said.

With the town's Distinguished Service Award now given to 10 of the Bay Constables and two mechanics who made sure the boat was operable, the members of the department have gotten much needed recognition. But, given a choice, they would remain anonymous if the waters off the coast of Manhattan were calm on that memorable day.

Town of Hempstead Bay Constables Distinguished Service Award Recipients

Ron Masters, Commissioner

Matthew Bernstein

Michael Brennan

John Mulligan

Jennifer Olivera

Robert Powell

Gordon Rieckhoff

Matthew Sohm

John Ferrar

Mike Moriarity

James Scotti

Anthony Catalanotto (Mechanic)

Mario Meloni (Mechanic)