It was a time of sorrow and remembrance. Of the several hundred men, women and children - uniformed or in plain clothes - attending the September 11 vigil at Levittown Veterans Memorial Park, it was difficult to spot a dry eye. But it also was a time of hope. A time of unity.

During an hour-long ceremony, the crowd witnessed Girl Scouts lighting 36 candles that represented 36 Levittown families directly affected by the September 11 terrorist attacks. They saw the procession by the color guard, the playing of Taps and a commemorative bell ringing executed by Vice Commander Andy Booth, which remembered lost firefighters. There were also scores of flowers and wreaths placed in a memorial in the park.

"This is in remembrance of all those who lost their lives," said Master of Ceremonies and 2nd Division Commander of the Nassau County American Legion, Thomas Di Iorio. "The price the United States has paid for freedom."

And the gatherers viewed the debut of a rendering of the Twin Towers with a flag draped across it that was donated by the New York/New Jersey Port Authority.

"That will be displayed in a prominent place," Di Iorio said.

The crowd participated in the action as well. People held up candles, which they fought the wind to light, prominently displayed glow sticks and wore red, white and blue. One gatherer even began a chant of "U-S-A."

And of course, there were a number of speakers, including elected officials and religious figures. Speakers expressed anger, disbelief, sadness and possibly most importantly, confidence about the future, with togetherness and vigilance as themes.

"I don't think there is a man, woman, or child who couldn't tell us where they were last year when it happened," Di Iorio said. "We all have a story. Yet with all of the different stories, we are all here for one unified reason. September 11 will go down as the 21st century's 'Day of Infamy.' I ask you to do the small things. Smile a lot. Hug a child. Feel the breeze on your face tonight."

"I was thinking on the way here how proud I am to be an American," said County Executive Tom Suozzi. "When I pulled up and saw this scene, it was such a beautiful sight. This is amazing."

"The meaningless distractions of Sept. 10 a year ago have been replaced by a unity never before seen," Suozzi continued. "We begin our journey to a better community. To a better nation. To a better world."

Town of Hempstead Supervisor Richard Guardino Jr. also sought to personalize the events and inspire a melancholy crowd. "The events of September 11 deeply affected us as Long Islanders," he said. "It seemed as though the boundary between unimaginable and possible had been breached. Prior to September 11, some commentators said there are no modern day heroes. When I look at the people inside that risked their lives to help others and emergency forces that evacuated 25,000 people from the Twin Towers, I see heroes."

"A lot has been said about how things changed since September 11," Guardino added. "One thing hasn't changed. The United States is the greatest country in the world."

During the latter part of the ceremony, Guardino held a torch honoring victims of the terrorist attacks. After a recession by the color guard, patriotic songs of hope rang from the loudspeakers. This Land Is Your Land played first, followed by America the Beautiful, God Bless America, Let Freedom Ring, Proud to Be an American and others.