It was as emotional an evening that Roslyn has seen in many years. Last Thursday night, Sept. 20, up to 1,200 people gathered in the parking lot of the Roslyn Rescue Fire Company on Mineola Avenue to hold a candlelight vigil for Thomas and Peter Langone, the two Roslyn firefighters still missing at the World Trade Center.

While the rain started and stopped, the large crowd packed the parking lot and spilled out onto the sidewalk. Langone family members were in attendance and they had a brief statement of thanks read to the crowd.

Alan Schwalberg, chief of Roslyn Rescue began the vigil by giving a short talk. He recalled his long and close friendship with the Langone brothers. "It is stirring to see the unity that came from this tragedy," he said, adding that the purpose of the evening was "not to memorialize, but to pay tribute [to the Langones] and to pray for their safe return."

Rabbi Alan White of Temple Sinai then spoke, bringing wishes from Roslyn's Jewish community. While Rabbi White said he did not know the Langones, he added that Roslynites, living in their stretch of suburbia, take such men "and their courage for granted." It was a mistake that "we will never make again."

Then, as the rain began to fall, Father Edward Kennedy, a priest from Fordham University, who travels to Roslyn twice a week to offer Mass at St. Mary's, gave a talk and a prayer. He noted the courage of the Langone brothers, praising them as men who entered freely into danger all for "the noble cause of life." They were, Father Kennedy continued, "good men choosing freely to move forward when others were moving back."

Father Kennedy offered a prayer for a miracle "in the face of all contrary evidence." He closed by leading the audience in an "Our Father." The vigil ended with the singing of America the Beautiful and a short statement by Langone family members, one thanking the community for their support.

Afterwards, Assistant Chief Peter Liotta recalled his own time working amidst the rubble of downtown Manhattan. "Being down on the scene and seeing it on television are two different things," he said. Like everyone else, he had a hard time describing the enormity of the situation, adding that it was like being "in another world." Still, Mr. Liotta was heartened by the camaraderie on display at the scene, which proved to him that the people's spirit, despite the great loss and destruction, had not been broken.

The evening was especially emotional because of the Langone family's deep ties to Roslyn Rescue.

Both Tom and Peter have been with Roslyn Rescue since the early 1980s. In addition, their father, Paul and sisters Joanne and Rosemarie, have all served in the department over the last 20 years. Peter is a member of the department's training staff and holds the rank of captain. Fire department officials recalled how he has brought new ideas and concepts to volunteer fire service in Roslyn. In addition, he holds semi-annual hose handling training for department members. Peter has seen disaster strike many times, from large-scale incidents such as the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center to local incidents like the crash of Avianca Flight 52 and countless fatal auto accidents.

Tom Langone holds the rank of second assistant chief with the Fire Company. He also serves as department training officer. In 1991, Chief Langone was responsible for the conceptualization, planning, and eventual implementation of a fire department-based ambulance service in the Roslyn Fire Protection District.

Chief Langone has been honored for his heroism countless times. While his modesty often kept him away from glowing award ceremonies, he took his accolades from the victims of tragedies and their families. As with his brother, Chief Langone worked at the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the crash of Avianca Flight 52. In 1995, he also traveled to Oklahoma City to assist victims of the Murrah Federal Building bombing.

Since 1993, Chief Langone has served as a second Deputy Chief Instructor at the Nassau County Fire Service Academy in Bethpage. Among his countless titles and credentials, Chief Langone is a state-certified police instructor, a state-certified fire instructor, and a state-certified lab instructor with the New York State Department of Health, Bureau of EMS.