13th Anniversary of September 11th

This year we pay our respects to the 13th anniversary of September 11. For over a decade now, my office has hosted a memorial event on the American Veterans Memorial Pier, in the shadows of where the Twin Towers once stood, commemorating the lives lost and heroism we saw that day.

We remember those we lost in our community, our city and our nation, both civilian and first responders, and salute the brave men and women who protect our freedom by serving in the armed forces.

For many of us, the pain and loss of that horrific day is still with us and will always be. We will never forget. We lost so much on that day. We mourned the loss of fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, friends and family. But through all that pain and suffering, what I will never forget was how our community immediately acted following these attacks.

What I remember most was the light that shone on our streets on the darkest of days. I remember how our community, our city and our state came together. We took action, sending food and supplies into Ground Zero, organizing volunteers to work the bucket brigade, giving blood, donating money and helping in any way we could.

We rose above the tragedy, above our own personal pain and suffering, above our grief to help our fellow man. New Yorkers showed what it means to live in this city, that nothing can keep us down, stop us and get in our way. We were a community bound together to help anyway we could, and it was that resolve that brought us through those times.

On this year’s anniversary of September 11, I hope that we can all take some time to remember the remarkable service and the important role our community played. I hope you remember how our community joined together so to be with each other, so to assist each other, so to be united.

I ask that this year, in memory of the losses we faced, we all take some time to give back to our community. Volunteer, give blood, donate to a worthy cause. The most important thing for all of us is never to forget what it means to be an American, a New Yorker, and a resident of a community as strong as ours.

I hope that you will take time to pause, reflect and remember this September 11. I hope to see you joining together at the 69th Street Pier, on Thursday, September 11, at 7:30 p.m. to pay tribute to the anniversary of September 11.

http://www.homereporternews.com/news/government/guest-op-ed-remembering-and-reflecting-on-th-anniversary-of/article_57532c82-392d-11e4-8267-001a4bcf887a.html