The Fall River community gathered on September 11, 2022, for a 9/11 Memorial Ceremony at Battleship Cove, marking the 21st anniversary of the terrorist attacks. The ceremony commenced with a bell ringing and the National Anthem, followed by an invocation from Father Michael Racine and the traditional 'striking of the four fives' performed by retired firefighter Mike Aruda. Throughout the event, military personnel, both active and retired, and Gold Star family members, including Jim Brenton, were recognized for their service and sacrifice.
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please be seated please be seated
0:55this time we will do the bell ringing
1:09correction please remain standing for the national anthem
1:24okay good morning please feel free to join me detail present oh who say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hail at the twilight last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars through the peril the spine we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that are flag was still there oh say does that star spangle banner yet
2:55of the free and the home of the bridge
3:16ask father michael racine come up and do the invocation
3:29thank you for your presence here this morning as we remember this solemn day as we gather this morning to remember this 21st anniversary the day that turned tragic and deadly and painful in such a short time 21 years later we still remember those buried memories the sorrow and the words that echo that we hear so often today we never forget but we also remind ourselves in our communities and our nation
4:07that as our world continues to faces the challenges of many difficult times recuperate from many different situations of employment isolation from loved ones the grief of losing those who we have loved we still never forget we remember the heroes of 911 our firefighters and first responders who demonstrated without fear or tremble the act of courage and lived to their call of duty
4:41we remember the innocents who perished the friends and neighbors and the thousands of names that are read today we remember father michael judge the chaplain of the new york city fire department victim001 21 years later we gather today to remember and to comfort and to reflect and to be the people of hope during this day and the days that follow we continue to pray for peace to be those beacons of light
5:21just as those rays of light continue to shine at the world trade center strengthen the hands of those who defend our country in our common values of freedom and justice and peace inspire our leaders of cities in our nation to always act wisely to always pursue and to enact that peace by word and example bestow upon all today and every day your blessings and may we live to see swords to be converted into plowshares
5:56and nations not learn war anymore continue to bless our firefighters our emts our police our armed forces our sheriff's departments and grant them safety each and every day amen
6:21this time i'd like to call on retired firefighter mike aruda for the striking of the 4-5
6:41good morning the fire service is rich with ceremonial customs and traditions our customs of rendering final honors has its origins with the fall with the fire department of the city of new york where many years ago long before the advent of radios and pages fire alarms and daily announcements were dispatched from central headquarters to outlying firehouses by a system of bells and telegraphs
7:08each different type of alarm or announcement would have its own number and series of bell strikes when a firefighter died in the line of duty or when some important official or personage died headquarters would transmit five bell strikes repeated in four series with a slight pause between each series followed by the announcement this was done as long as 1865 in the new york city fire department to
7:34inform the rank and file of the death of our president abraham lincoln this custom has continued to present day in this form of rendering final honors to departed comrades is known in the fire service as striking the four fives which strike the four fives strike the four fights details
8:37oh
8:52please be seated
9:00at this time i ask that any person who is at 911 any military personnel retired or active would you please stand to be recognized
9:25thank you if there are any gold star members family members here would you please stand to be recognized sarah would you come up here please come up here please many people do not know what gold star family members are they are people who have lost one of their members in service to the country thank you very much thank you this is jim brenton he lost his brother service to this country thank you very much
10:20at this time i'm going to call on chief operating officer chief christopher noddy
10:37thank you colonel gavigan good morning everyone on behalf of megan rathbun executive director and justin bond our board president thank you all for attending our september 11th right of reflection ceremony i'd like to extend our appreciation to our public safety officials and honor guards the u.s navy band our singer rachel raposa bugler and bagpiper william bullard our chaplains father racine and cantor wolberg
11:05paul and bill demaris for their white dove release firefighter jeff medeiros and his family who polished the plaques to my left or behind me i'm sorry every year and do the trim up the landscaping dave and sandy dennis for facilitating the planting of the beautiful hydrangeas that we have here on the memorial battleship club staff and any others i may have missed to contribute to this annual event
11:32i'd also like to um mention that uh coming up shortly a presentation by retired uh new bedford fire chief raja naidu um will will be a special contribution this year for this event and finally for those who don't know we had essential cooperation from the 911 families way back by captain casey who's here in the audience to present to create this memorial and we're very proud that battleship cove is the host for this
12:03site and with that i'll turn it back to colonel gavigan
12:13thank you chief niddy notty this time i'd like to call on uh brigadier's battalion chief operating of missouri chief operating officer christopher notty on the passing of the steel
12:39good morning today as you look around you will see a fire engine with the number 266.
12:48this engine was built in memory of my brother gerald w nadew who is a district fire chief for the city of fall river fire department jerry died in the line of duty on october 24 2002 at the age of 51.
13:07his badge number is 266.
13:10this engine is a funeral truck that carries fallen firefighters and veterans it has two compartments on it one is dedicated for 9 11 heroes the other compartment is a tribute to vietnam veterans also on this engine is an artifact from the world trade center today this artifact will be transferred to battleship cove museum from engine 266 in memory of district fire chief gerald w needle by his son brian
13:44and his daughter cara we also have present the badge of father michael judge who was the chaplain of the new york fire department he was the first recorded casualty at 9 11.
14:00his death certificate reads zero zero one twenty-one years ago today was a tragic day for our country and that is why we are here today to never forget thank you
14:26our next speaker will be the mayor of fall river paul coogan i first met paul at durfee high school he was an administrator so he's dedicated his life to the city of four of us man thank you colonel thank you colonel gaffigan um i do want to acknowledge all of our um first responders that are here with us today and i can't thank them enough for everything they've done for this city
14:5921 years ago i remember being in the main office at the talbot middle school watching the nightmare of 9 11 unfold most of us felt exactly the same way horrified worried and filled with questions some of us were changed forever i sometimes feel that way too and the numbers never change with three thousand people killed the world trade center building destroyed the pentagon damaged and this all happened on one day
15:29in american history even with all the devastation the terrorists failed they tried to tear our country apart and the opposite occurred from the brave first responders to the military people on the street we all supported each other in ways we haven't for a very long time but our enemies still to this day continue to try to tear us apart it's very sad and today especially we honor the fallen from 9 11 with one
16:05common goal never forget that day the victims or the warriors or the first responders that lived through it and saved our country and i'd like to wrap up with a quote from president george bush one of the worst days in american history saw some of the bravest acts in american history we'll always honor the heroes of 9 11 and here at this hallowed place we pledge to never forget their sacrifices thank you very much
16:47our next speaker will be fire chief roger saint martin thank you good morning matt hoogan sheriff hodgson ken wahlberg gavigan chaplain racine councilor pereira any elected officials ladies and gentlemen first responders thank you they're all here on their own time so i thank you for coming out today to support fallen brothers and sisters thank you for this occasion to speak to you on such a solemn occasion
17:25the 21st anniversary of september 11 2001 terrorist attacks we as americans were forever changed that day those of us who are alive during those horrific events will never forget where they were when they received the news 21 years ago today the acts of these few radical extremists did not polarize the american people as intended or actually served to unite the country in their resolve to overcome
17:51immediately thousands of first responders military personnel and civilians rushed to the aid of those in need when everyone was running out they were running in of the 2977 victims killed in the attacks 343 firefighters 10 emergency medical technicians and paramedics along with 65 law enforcement personnel and 29 military government workers lost their lives that day hundreds more first responders suffered
18:20injuries suffered injuries in their efforts and still today many from across our nation suffer health issues due to their labors and affecting rescues and recovery of victims following the events of september 11th americans rally to defend our great nation from terrorism and many of you here today put your lies on hold toward that end and i am forever grateful for that thank you all
18:46today on average 22 veterans take their own lives each day doing part to their service to our country mental health issues are taking the lives of more of our former soldiers sailors marines airmen and first responders than the terrorists ever have we must make a concerted effort to combat this alarming trend many of you came together to support the victims of september 11th the military
19:07members who deployed their families and others in their time of need we as americans banded together to ensure national security economic stability and to maintain our way of life we look to help each other heal for our wounds and overcome there is strength in unity the bible notes that a house divided cannot stand today current events the pandemic or whatever the reason why our nation
19:32divided we seem to have lost our focus people routinely point out problems but never offer solutions it's been said that anyone can fix a problem or point out a problem sorry but it takes a leader to fix these problems there are many finger pointers out there but very few true leaders affecting change of direction attitudes national consciousness takes leadership time patience finding common ground what
19:55seems to be the most important or the most elusive at all is effort i believe this is not because people are afraid to try but because when these efforts aren't successful these people are really cute for their failure teddy roosevelt wrote it is not the critic who counts not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or whether do her deeds could have done better the credit belongs to the man who
20:16is actually in the arena whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood who strives violently who airs who comes up short again and again because there is no effort without air and shortcoming but who does actually strive to do these deeds who knows great enthusiasms the great devotions who spends himself a worldly cause who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and at worst if he fails he fails
20:43at least while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat those who hold position to power both public and prior throughout our great nation should put aside petty differences and work to reunite the soul of our nation there's always middle ground if we become complacent if we forget the sacrifice those individuals injured or
21:04killed 21 years ago today if we forget the sacrifice of all those wounded or lost defending this great nation against all enemies foreign and domestic we forget all these and all the lessons learned throughout our nation's history then we are doomed to repeat these missteps today let us reflect on the courage and sacrifice of those lost or who lost their lives 21 years ago today let us reflect on innocent souls lost
21:26that day let us reflect on all the men and women who lost their lives throughout our history defending this great nation and those who still fight through mental illness let's reflect on those who try to make a positive difference in others lives let us be one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all lest we forget thank you this time i went to ask the floor of a
21:58police chief to stand and be recognized chief paul garvin 21 years ago i was on the brighton street bridge everybody knew where they were small plane hit the world trade center i said this is not good when the 93 bombing of the world trade center took place i went down met with the local authorities put together what had happened i was in the military at the time when that day hit
22:37the sheriff immediately called me and said dave get back to the office for the next few days the sheriff reached out talked to new york officials they said that we needed help we arrived there one night at about 11 o'clock we were right at ground zero i was on the five world trade center with a group of firefighters the sheriff was up on the pile as they called it right where the marriott was digging with firemen
23:14he was covered from with soot from head to foot that's the kind of leaders that we need in this country i'd like to introduce the next speaker the high sheriff of bristol county sheriff tom hudson good morning thank you all for being here today so many emotions run through my head every year as i sit down and collect my thoughts for today's ceremony i feel tremendous sadness for the people who are no longer with us
23:54many lives were cut tragically short that fatal warning 21 years ago thinking about it is not any easier today than it was back then all the families who lost loved ones children who never got the chance to grow up my heart aches for the first responders we lost that day firefighters police officers emts and others who ran toward the smoke and flames when everyone else ran away and i will never forget
24:31ever forget the police and others who suffered for years afterwards with the mental anguish and ptsd of what they witnessed and the physical health problems caused by ground zero i feel tremendous a tremendous honor to have lived in the same country as the heroes on flight 93 who sacrificed their life lives to save others that right there is the best of america 37 true heroes in every sense of the
25:07word giving their lives to prevent the plane from crashing in the heart of our nation ironically i was literally standing on the front steps to the u.s capitol when flight 93 was set to arrive in washington d.c god bless them the pride i felt in the days weeks and months afterward is something i will never forget americans from every corner of the country descended on ground zero from california to the dakotas
25:40to massachusetts when i led a contingent of aid from the bristol county sheriff's office we couldn't go three steps without people thanking us or offering shelter or food i remember seeing american flags everywhere on cars on homes throughout bristol county and all the way down to new york the sense of togetherness the sense of being united as one people of one great country it's a little overwhelming to be honest
26:12i still get goosebumps thinking about it but for every feeling of sorrow pride and honor that fills my head about 911 there's a feeling of anger and disappointment 21 years after this horrible tragedy 21 years after this enormous attack on our nation and where are we i'm not talking about the longer lines and increased security at airports or all the documents needed to get a real id i see a nation divided
26:49the arguing and infighting over everything from politics to public safety is almost nonstop from social media to talk radio to tv and the everyday conversations at the grocery store park it seems to be there is hardly any compromise or middle ground to be had i also see a nation in distress 300 young adults are dying every day in america due to fentanyl overdoses there are not enough social services
27:19providers to handle the demand we're facing a mental health crisis covid monkey pox and whatever else the next health scare is bottom line to me is our country our nation our citizens we so united after the events of 9 11.
27:39and 21 years later i feel like we're moving further and further apart make no mistake the terrorist that fateful day wanted to kill americans but they also wanted to kill our spirit and our resolve so today and every day i pledge to remember september 12 and remember how unified we were i pledged to continue to do acts of kindness to smile to laugh and to do the little things that uplift others together
28:14and only together we can truly honor the heroes and victims from that fateful day and use their sacrifice and loss to build a better tomorrow and one nation under god god bless you all thank you for being here today next on the program i call on new bedford retire fire chief roger nato
28:52we are now going to present the artifact from the world trade center from engine 266 to battleship cove museum
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30:33the honor god command and then a wreath laying and gun salute
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36:44so
41:46this time i would like to introduce chaplain of the fall river by a police department chaplain canto walton
42:03me sit down good morning 21 years ago monday september 10th we all felt secure but our myth of security was shattered one day later on tuesday september 11 2001.
42:28i was watching a movie documentary on 9 11 just yesterday and one of the most touching parts were the words of the wife of kevin cosgrove who lost his life on the 105th floor his wife said and i quote i guess what i would want people to learn from listening to the recording of my husband's last words from the world trade center is that life is short that you never know
43:05when you're going to lose your loved ones and to spend every minute you can showing them that love and that's what's important in life after 62 minutes the south tower although the second to be hit was the first to fall almost a thousand civilians police firefighters emts and paramedics died and among them was kevin cosgrove let us never forget the horrors so many experienced as well as their families and friends
43:52let us pray i believe in the son even when it is not shining i believe in love even when feeling it not i believe in good even when evil is all around i believe in peace even when terrorism abounds i believe in god even when god is silent may the blessings of peace unfold and infuse embrace and interwine our beloved country and all the world and may we live to see the prophecy fulfilled
44:37nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall man learn war anymore for all men and women both great and small shall know the lord amen
45:00at this time i'm going to ask the audience to please look over to your left and then look behind me these are the people that respond when we're in trouble they're there 24 7 police fire ems they do a fantastic job and i just want to recognize them i also want to recognize the us navy band thank you for being here today all you young people billy and paul paul of damaris have been really
45:41here from the beginning so at this time i would like to call on both paula and bill and their doves white does represent hope love and peace and that's we wish for everyone in america and especially those that made the ultimate sacrifice and those that are enemies have taken from us as it does fly heavyweight please say a special prayer or message for those we have lost you may release your doves
46:18the doves will circle above and they will all return home
47:15you