KENT, Conn.—On a day eerily like the crystal-clear September morning 24 years ago when four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks were launched against New York’s Twin Towers, the Pentagon and, unsuccessfully, on the White House, Kent residents paused Thursday to observe the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001.
At 8:45 a.m., the moment that the first plane slammed into the Twin Towers, First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer made his opening remarks in front of town hall. He stood near the town’s memorial to the nearly 3,000 people slain that day, including lifelong Kent resident, 23-year-old James Gadiel.
Gadiel, a graduate of Housatonic Valley Regional High School and Washington and Lee University, was an assistant trader for the brokerage firm of Cantor Fitzgerald, working on the 103rd floor of the North Tower, the first structure hit on Sept. 11. Gladiel is remembered by those who knew him as a gentle and personable person.
Lindenmayer, a Navy veteran, welcomed all to the gathering to honor “the heroes of this tragic and heartbreaking day in our nation’s history.”
“Most all of us here have personal stories and tales to tell of where we were on that fateful Tuesday and how it changed our lives,” he said. “After 24 years, some say we should put these memories aside and get on with life, suggestions made not with malice, but [with] a lack of understanding of why we should always pay tribute to the heroes of 9/11.”
He said the 9/11 heroes should be remembered with “deep gratitude and respect for their selflessness in the face of unimaginable terror, embodying the strength, resilience, and unity of the human spirit.”
He cited the first responders, military personnel, and ordinary citizens who ran into danger and helped others” saving countless lives. The country lost 441 first responders in the aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
First responders from across Connecticut and the nation journeyed to the city in the days and weeks following the tragedy to help with recovery efforts. Many of them later developed serious illnesses from exposure to toxins in the rubble.
Lindenmayer lowered the flag in front of town hall to half-staff at 9:58 a.m., almost precisely the time when Port Authority Police Department Sergeant Al DeVona first issued orders to evacuate the Twin Towers.
Four minutes later, before DeVona’s orders could be carried out, the second plane crashed into the South Tower rendering two of the three emergency stairwells impassible and severing most elevator cables. Many were trapped on floors above the impact and in elevators.
The Rev. Richard Clark, pastor of St. Andrew’s Church, offered the opening prayer and benediction during the Kent ceremony.
