Never Forget

It’s hard to believe that eighteen years have gone by since the terrible events of September 11, 2001. Far more than just the skyline was permanently altered on that day; Our lives and the trajectory of our City, our state and our nation were forever changed. I remember exactly where I was and the horror I felt that day, as I know all of us do. It’s a memory we will never forget. 

Here in southern Brooklyn, we keenly and painfully feel the loss of many of our own community members who perished on 9/11, either as first responders or working in the Twin Towers. The pain we feel as individuals and as a community never fully eases, it just gets a little bit easier to cope with our loss. As the poet Aeschylus beautifully reminds us, “even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, and against our will, comes wisdom through the awesome grace of God.” The community vigils we hold each year help us remember, and help us cope. 

But we must also do more than just remember our loved ones. We also have a sacred duty to honor the sacrifice of those who willingly risked their lives on our behalf. Those first responders -- the hundreds who died on 9/11 and the thousands who have died since then -- answered the call for help and gave their last full measure of devotion so that others could live. The sacrifices still continue as at least 10,000 emergency responders have been diagnosed with cancer as a result of toxins they were exposed to on that fateful day, and the days and weeks and months after.

Honoring the sacrifices of our first responders means more than just saying “Never Forget” when it’s convenient. The duty we have to honor them means providing the support they need to treat themselves, no matter the cost. It was a disgrace how long it took to fully fund the Victims’ Compensation Fund, and each of the Republican Senators in Washington who blocked the bill for as long as they did should be ashamed of themselves. To see politicians betray their duty by haggling over cost of treatment was astonishing and appalling.They owed our heroes a sacred duty of honor, but instead they turned them into political pawns. I am glad that the VCF was finally permanently funded, but it never should have taken so long. 

Here at home, I have been working to pass legislation that will help ensure 9/11 first responders have access to the services we as a City and as a State owe them. 

Three 9/11 Heroes Bills that I sponsored and which passed both the Senate and Assembly this session, and which were signed into law by the Governor on 9/11, ensure 9/11 first responders have access to unlimited sick leave; address delays in 9/11-related disability claims by increasing the number of physicians employed by the medical board of NYCERS; and provide FDNY retirees diagnosed with cancer within five years of their retirement a presumption that their cancer was incurred in the performance of their duties because, as we know, first responders are still getting sick and dying from what they were exposed to on the pile 18 years ago. These bills are on the Governor’s desk and I urge him to sign them immediately.

Remembrance and honor: the two words that sum up how we must always respond to the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Remembrance for the loved ones lost and honor for the sacrifices made. Our community has a great legacy of faithfully living up to both of these duties, because we know exactly what and who we lost on that day. When we solemnly come together to mourn our losses, or when we make good on the debt we owe our first responders, we ensure that indeed, we will never forget.