Residents and first responders from Walden gathered at the village’s fire station last Wednesday, September 11 at 6:30 p.m. in remembrance of 9/11, memorializing the victims lost in the attacks and the first responders who risked their lives to help others.

The ceremony opened with a presentation of flag colors from the Walden American Legion Post 158, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and opening from Village Mayor John Ramos, and the National Anthem sung by Pat Hogan. Charles McNeely, chief of the Walden FD, welcomed the crowd and provided personal thoughts on September 11, recounting how firefighters from across the country rushed to Manhattan within 48 hours of the attacks. He mentioned that Walden’s police officers and firefighters were some of the first to arrive at Ground Zero.

“The village was the only community in America to be requested by Governor George Pataki to lend a hand at Ground Zero. Members representing our DPW, our police department, and our fire department were some of the first responders to begin the search and rescue recovery operations,” McNeely said. “Among the 343 names of firefighters lost that day was one of our own, Firefighter Ronnie Lee Henderson.”

“Twenty-three years later, buildings have been rebuilt, memorials established, remembrances held, and the fire and police departments continue to honor those whom we lost that day in numerous ways,” he continued.

New York Assemblyman Brian Maher read former President George W. Bush’s Statement to the Nation, a message that instilled hope into civilians and described the country’s emergency plans.

“The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness, and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed; our country is strong,” Maher read. “A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.”

Following Maher, Ramos read Stacey Randall’s “Meet Me in the Stairwell” and Father Tom Colluci, a retired firefighter and pastor of the Most Precious Blood Church, read Father Mychal Judge’s last homily. Judge was a chaplain for the New York City Fire Department and one of the first FDNY members who passed away on September 11.

“I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name, though not all know Me. Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor, some sought Me with their last breath,” Ramos read. “Some couldn’t hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames; ‘Come to Me, this way, take my hand.’ Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me. But I was there.”

“Good days and bad days, up days, down days, sad days, happy days. But never a boring day on this job. You do what God has called you to do. You show up, you put one foot in front of another, you get on the rig and you go out and you do the job, which is a mystery,” Colucci read. “And a surprise. You have no idea when you get on that rig, no matter how big the call, no matter how small. You have no idea what God is calling you to, but he needs you, he needs me, he needs all of us.”

Rev. Jim Van Houten, another retired firefighter and pastor of the Walden Baptist Church, recounted the story of “An Unchanging Symbol,” an American Flag that three firefighters raised at the World Trade Center following the attacks.

The flag was lost for several years until Brian Browne, a marine veteran and flag collector from Everett, found and returned it to his city’s fire department in 2014 after watching a History Channel documentary. The flag currently resides at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

“For eight years, a man by the name of Brian Browne had preserved that American flag in a storage trunk in the freezer of his home in Everett, Washington, completely unaware of this piece of history,” Van Houten said. “The man who returned it brought it to a local fire station, walked in, and said ‘My name is Brian. I think you might be looking for this. I’m an ex-marine here, hope you get it back to its rightful owner.’ He turned and walked right out the door.”

Later in the evening, several officers and firefighters read the names of civilians and first responders from Orange County who passed away on 9/11, followed by Taps from Valley Central Student Tim Drake. After this, Colucci, Van Houten, and Reverend Nicole Hanley of the St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, gave a dedication to the fire station’s 9/11 memorial beam.

“We placed upon this plaque the American flag, a national symbol of the fire service. You have raised up an emblem for those who fear you, a symbol they can rally to when they’re under attack,” Hanley said, referencing Psalm 60:4.

Kevin McColl, Captain of the Walden FD, and Van Houten placed a wreath and a glove on the memorial beam respectively. The ceremony ended with a community singing of God Bless America, followed by a benediction from Hanley, and refreshments.