Remembering Greenwich’s 33
More than 200 turn out in memory of lives lost here and beyond
GREENWICH — A crowd quietly gathered Wednesday to remember the lives of the Greenwich residents who were killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks — 33 victims whose names are permanently etched in the glass of the town’s memorial.
More than 200 people turned out in Cos Cob Park for the lateafternoon service as a bell was rung for each of the 33 victims and each of the names was read out loud.
Family and friends of the victims, as well other town residents, placed flowers at the base of the memorial, which is made up of two glass towers to represent the World Trade Center.
An anniversary memorial ceremony has been held in town since
2002, taking place first at Town Hall and then at the Glenville Volunteer Fire Station and now at Cos Cob Park. In remarks at the Cos Cob ceremony on Wednesday, state Rep. Fred Camillo urged those in attendance to keep the significance of the day in their minds.
He recalled how residents could once see the Twin Towers from the Greenwich shoreline, and he thought back to the day of the attacks.
“All that remained would be a memory and a resolve,” Camillo said. “The memory would be of a magnificent architectural achievement and the resolve was to never forget the hate that was behind that terrible destruction of that day and to endeavor that it never happened again.”
But today, Camillo said that has been joined by a new skyline, “one that signifies rebirth and revitalization.”
“From the ashes has arisen a new symbol of progress and of spirit that cannot be broken by hate nor extremism,” Camillo said. “The people of Greenwich lost many of their sons and daughters that day. They went to work not knowing it would be their last day and when they died they took their hopes, dreams and futures. But what did not perish, however, was their legacies and their love of family, of friends, of freedom and of country.”
It is up to everyone left behind, Camillo said, to carry on those legacies and pass the love of freedom onto the next generation and ensure that the resolve born on Sept. 11, 2001, would remain.
The memorial in Cos Cob Park was funded privately, with the support of the families of the local victims, and then given to the town as a gift.
The families play an active role in the annual ceremony held at the memorial. Wells Noonan, whose brother Robert was killed in the attacks, led this year’s program. And the names of all of Greenwich’s victims were read by Lindsay and Tierney Maloney, the nieces of Teddy Maloney. His daughter, Teddy, rang the memorial bell for each victim.
After the ceremony, Teddy Maloney’s mother, Sally, spoke about the 18th anniversary of her son’s death.
“It’s been so difficult, and I don’t know why. But it’s been a little more this year than some in the past,” she said. “It shocks me that this pain doesn’t wain a little bit each year. It starts a couple of days before the actual ceremony and goes through today and a little bit tomorrow.
“Then I get back to normal, and I think if I didn’t have my job and was busy full time, it would be a lot worse,” she said.
Hundreds turned out to show their support, which Maloney said she truly appreciates.
“It’s so lovely,” she said. “Teddy was one of the most beloved people that anybody ever knew . ... He was called a pied piper and a guardian angel to a lot.”
At the close of the ceremony, an honor guard made up of members of the Greenwich Police Department and the Greenwich Fire Department led a procession to the memorial along with members of the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich.
The Cos Cob ceremony has become a tradition since the memorial was dedicated at the park in 2015.
The town also held a second ceremony Wednesday evening at the Glenville Fire Department, where there is a memorial created from a piece of steel recovered from the World Trade Center.
Members of the Glenville Volunteer Fire Company and representatives of all of Greenwich’s first responders, saluted their fallen brethren who bravely rushed to the scene after the terror attacks on the World Trade Center.
As part of the ceremony, a wreath was placed at the steel beam memorial.