Bay Ridge

Golden to hold Sept. 11 tribute at 69th Street Pier

September 3, 2015 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
State Sen. Marty Golden (left) and Col. Joseph Davidson, commanding officer of the U.S. Army Garrison at Fort Hamilton, took part in a candlelight vigil during the Sept. 11 ceremony on the pier last year. Eagle file photo by Paula Katinas
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State Sen. Marty Golden, who has organized a Bay Ridge tribute to the victims of 9/11 each year since the devastating attacks took place in 2001, is planning a ceremony again this year to mark the 14th anniversary of the event.

Golden will hold a remembrance on Friday, Sept. 11, on the 69th Street Pier, starting at 7:30 p.m.

In previous years, the ceremony has featured prayers, poetry, songs, a candlelight vigil and a 21-gun salute from soldiers from the U.S. Army Garrison at Fort Hamilton.

More than three dozen Bay Ridge residents were among the thousands of people killed at the World Trade Center in the attacks, according to Golden, who first hosted a tribute on the pier in March of 2002, six months after the attacks.

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In the minds of many Bay Ridgeites, the pier is inevitably linked with Sept. 11. The dock, which juts out into New York Harbor, offers an unencumbered view of the skyline of lower Manhattan, where the Twin Towers once stood.

On Sept. 11, 2001, hundreds of people flocked to the pier to look at the horrific scene unfolding across the harbor.

“Sept. 11 is not just a day to grieve. It is a day to remember how strong our nation is,” Col. Joseph Davidson, commanding officer of Fort Hamilton, told the crowds that gathered at the pier for the 2014 tribute. Davidson was the ceremony’s guest speaker.

Golden recalled how the Bay Ridge community reacted to the terror attack. Hundreds of people flocked to his district office for days on end looking to donate food and supplies to the first responders working at Ground Zero, he said.

Golden and Davidson released two bunches of balloons, one containing nine balloons, the other 11, into the air.

As he prepares for this year’s remembrance, Golden said he is thinking of the families of those who were killed.

“Our sadness on this solemn day will never cease, and for that, we shall never forget. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the families who mourn their loved ones and my deepest gratitude to the brave first responders who gave their lives to save others,” he said.

For more information, call Golden’s office at 718-238-6044.


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