West Hempstead remembers 9/11 victims at Hall's Pond Park

Residents, local elected officials and community groups gathered around the 9/11 memorial at Hall’s Pond Park in West Hempstead on Sept. 10 for the West Hempstead Community Support Association’s annual 9/11 service.

Community groups that included West Hempstead Boy Scout Troop 240, the Lakeview and West Hempstead fire departments, among other groups, took part in the ceremony to honor 9/11 victims from the community. WHCSA executive board member Rosalie Norton thanked neighbors and friends who contributed to the acquisition of West Hempstead’s memorial in 2016.

“The entire board of the West Hempstead Community Support Association wishes to express gratitude to all who went on this journey with us,” Norton said. “Your actions demonstrate what we’ve known for a long time. West Hempstead is a very special place.”

State Sen. Todd Kaminsky noted many of the changes that the U.S. has made since 9/11. “Many men and women have given their life overseas to fight back against those who tried to take our freedoms,” Kaminsky said. “We travel differently, and our society is run differently because we realize that we must stay vigilant to protect our freedom.”