Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray and the town board hosted a sunrise memorial at Point Lookout Beach on Thursday, Sept. 11 in commemoration of the two-year anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

"Providing comfort, mutual support and healing in the wake of the events of 9/11 has been an abiding theme across our nation," noted Supervisor Murray. "Two years after the terrorist attacks, out hearts are still broken; however, our nation has united in a profound manner."

Several members of the clergy spoke, helping to provide comfort to those gathered for the memorial. Several of the families living within the Town of Hempstead have been impacted by September 11, 2001 and many residents lost their lives. The town has already held numerous street dedication ceremonies in honor of some of the victims and many are still planned.

Supervisor Murray was joined by a member of the Levittown Fire Department, which lost its beloved chief Ron Kerwin on September 11, in unveiling a sand monument of the Twin Towers.

Attendees were invited to write messages to those who died on sand dollars that were provided by the town. Those sand dollars were then placed at the base of the sand monument. "Hopefully, the powerful image of this sculpture will live on as a reminder of the enduring spirit of friends and family members who died two years ago," stated Murray.

Among the speakers at the memorial was a major from the Salvation Army who spent three weeks at Ground Zero counseling the first responders at the site. Offering the perspective of surviving members was West Hempstead resident Denise DeAngelis, who lost her husband Robert, a West Hempstead Fire Commissioner, in the World Trade Center.

Other area residents who lost their lives on September 11 but whose memory remains in the hearts of Americans include:

Bruce Boehm

Jason Cefalu

Kevin Colbert

Jack Fanning

Winston Grant

Ralph Licciardi

Robert Linnane

Mark Schwartz

Bobby Evans

Thomas Hetzel

Michael Kiefer

Ronald Kloepfer

Salvatore Lopes

Jill Ann Metzler

Brooke Rosenbaum

Emelda Perry

Eamon McEneaney

"Those who perished in the terrorist attacks of September 11 were victims of the first battle of the first war of the 21st century. They died as heroes and we will never forget them," said Murray.

Many residents went to Point Lookout Beach following the attacks on the nation to reflect and seek solace. Murray invited residents to once again seek solace as they took part in a silent vigil by the waters of the Atlantic. The vigil was followed by residents casting flowers into the sea.

In a brief ceremony in observance of the second anniversary of the September 11 attacks, a small gathering of local residents assisted in the placement of a floral wreath at the foot of the clock tower in Hall's Pond Park. The clock tower stands in the 9/11 Memorial Garden at the south entrance to the park, the inspiration of West Hempstead Kiwanis Club members.

The floral wreath, composed of red roses and 12 white doves, was designed and created by Nikki Stamatis Thaw, a member of the Kiwanis Club. Each dove represents a resident of the West Hempstead community who perished on September 11, 2001.

Residents are invited to come down to Hall's Pond Park's 9/11 Memorial Garden to pay respects to the fallen, to remember the acts of heroism and courage, and to reflect on both the day and the future. "Like our country and our community," said Kiwanian Bob Smith, "the Memorial Garden is a work in progress."

This is, indeed, a place to heal, and a time to rebuild.