24 Years Later, Wilton Gathers to Remember 9/11 and Reflect on Unity [PHOTOS]

On Thursday morning, Sept. 11, the Wilton community gathered at Fire Headquarters for the annual 9/11 Memorial Service, marking the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives, including five from Wilton.

The solemn ceremony was organized by the Wilton Firefighters Union Local 2233 and led by union President Gary Mandel, who welcomed residents, veterans, first responders, town officials and employees, and volunteers.

“A special and sincere welcome [goes] to those Wilton families who had loved ones perish at the 9/11 attacks,” Mandel said, noting their names — Edward Fergus, Edward York, Peter C. Fry, John Henwood and John F. Iskyan — are engraved on the plaque at the base of the flagpole.

Members of the American Legion Post 86 raised the American flag and lowered it to half-mast in remembrance, and at ceremony’s end, retired Wilton Fire Captains Carl Dornier and Kevin Zarnecki placed a wreath at the memorial.

Early in the ceremony, Wilton Police Lt. Anna Tornello, who is also a trained opera singer, sang the National Anthem.

Mandel welcomed several speakers, all of whom remarked on the them of unity, and how important it is to come together as a community in the face of tragedy.

The first speaker was Rev. David Stewart of Wilton Congregational Church, who opened with reflections and a prayer. He recalled his own experience living in Washington, D.C., near the Pentagon and how he searched for God on that day.

“How does one come to grips with the violence and the death and the destruction of that scale in a world that we say is held in the hands of an all knowing, all loving God? … We don’t know. We don’t know, and we have to be satisfied and at peace saying we don’t know.”

But Stewart also pointed to where he found faith.

“For a long time after, even the most hardened New Yorkers softened their hearts. People who averted their eyes from one another on the subways on the sidewalks, began looking at each other a little bit more. They seemed to feel a common humanity in the universal frailty that is a human experience. … I know that downtown Manhattan rebirthed with resolve and strength and stamina, the resurrection, so to speak. And I know that in addition to the 3,000 civilians who died that day, almost 500 first responders put others lives above their own, and so I guess that’s where I see the presence of an all loving God,” he said.

Like Stewart, First Selectman Toni Boucher spoke about what she saw in the aftermath of one of “humanity’s worst cruelties.”

“The American people reached out to each other with countless acts of courage and kindness… Americans came together, unified like no other after 9/11,” she said, and urged Wilton to hold onto the unity of that moment.

“This unity and resolve should not diminish over time. We owe it to our children and grandchildren, we owe it to the thousands of innocent victims of Sept. 11, and the first responders who daily answer the call for help… At our very core, we are a nation of brothers and sisters, no matter how much we disagree. I hope that in this divisive time, we can rekindle that sense of family and be a little bit more compassionate to one another.”

Fire Chief James Blanchfield emphasized both the numbers and the ongoing toll of 9/11.

“2,977 people died that day. Over 6,000 were injured… 161 people from Connecticut, five here from Wilton … all lost their lives, and no one came home,” he said.

“The number of first responders and others diagnosed with 9/11-linked cancers has increased to 48,579 — a staggering 143% increase in the last five years… As of this week, 3,767 people who have died post-9/11 from cancer actually eclipses how many died that day,” Blanchfield added.

And he called on the community to carry the memory forward, especially as the day grows increasingly further in the past.

“For today’s K–12 students, 9/11 is not a memory. It’s history… We should embrace the idea of ensuring that our memories and lessons that we’ve learned are passed down to this new generation,” Blanchfield said.

Deputy Police Chief Rob Cipolla spoke about experiencing 9/11 two weeks into his freshman year at Marist College, on the banks of the Hudson River. “Strangers became friends. We leaned on each other, and in that moment of fear and confusion, we united,” he recalled.

He shared how the river itself came to symbolize both tragedy and hope.

“Some of the hijackers used the Hudson River, the same river that flowed right past my college campus, as a navigational guide to carry out their attacks… but that same river also became a lifeline… evacuating over 500,000 people from Lower Manhattan by boat. The Hudson, once used for destruction, became a corridor of hope, rescue and recovery.”

He, too, ended with a call to action about unity.

“The best way to honor the memory of 9/11 is to live with purpose, serve with compassion, and above all, never forget what we are capable of when we stand together,” Cipolla said.

Speaking on behalf of the Wilton Volunteer Ambulance Corps, WVAC Secretary Esther Hilbers gave powerful remarks, reflecting on witnessing the attacks from Europe. Unabashedly emotional, Hilbers delivered one of the most moving 9/11 ceremony speeches in Wilton in memory.

“Even though we watched from a distance, we noticed something remarkable. We clearly saw how this tragedy had broken hearts, but failed to break a country. We saw the steady development of an extremely powerful response of courage and collaboration… 9/11 brought the spirit of unity that became stronger and more convincing every minute,” she said.

Describing those that stepped up in the aftermath of 9/11 — emergency responders, volunteers, teachers, families and communities — she said that the world watched and learned. “In the face of fear and heartbreak, the entire world saw the best of humanity,” she said, adding “We remember this day 24 years later because it reminds the entire world of how you all stood together, not as strangers, not as partisans, but as one nation — an example for the world.”

Hilbers also echoed the others in noting the power of unity in the face of tragedy. “You were united by grief, but even more so, it seemed, by love, courage and hope. … I wish for all of us that we will continue to remember and embrace the spirit of resilience, of strength, kindness and unity — not only today, but every day.”

Like Blanchfield, she talked about how children will learn about 9/11 — not just as history. “My children will learn about the tragedy of 9/11 in their history classes… but when speaking about 9/11, I will teach my children how this nation stood strong and united, how ordinary people became heroes, and how all became one.”