Town of Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer, Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez, Councilmen Anthony Manetta, Terence McSweeney and DuWayne Gregory, Town Clerk Gerry Compitello and Receiver of Taxes Jennifer Montiglio gathered with members of the Town of Babylon Fire Chiefs Association on Saturday, September 11, 2021, at the Home Town Memorial at Overlook Beach to honor and remember the 48 Babylon Township residents who were killed on September 11, 2001.
U.S. Congressman Andrew Garbarino, Mike Shide of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s Office, Theresa Santoro of Governor Kathy Hochul’s Office, TJ Hatter of New York State Attorney General Letitia James Office, Senator Phil Boyle, Assemblyman Michael Durso, Brendan Cunningham of Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre’s Office, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Suffolk County Legislators Tom Donnelly and Jason Richberg, Amityville Mayor Dennis Siry, and Amityville Trustees Kevin Smith, Michael O’Neill and Owen Brooks also joined hundreds of community members at the ceremony.
48 Town of Babylon residents, many of whom were first responders, were killed on that sunny blue-skied day 20 years ago. Supervisor Rich Schaffer and President Peter McArdle of the Fire Chiefs Association paid tribute to the victims with a roll call of their names, followed by a Suffolk County Police Department flyover.
“Let this memorial provide all of us in Babylon Town with a daily reminder to take nothing for granted – appreciate our freedoms, count our blessings, strive to help our fellow man and woman, and let this memorial serve as a reminder of the American spirit built on democracy and freedom,” said Supervisor Schaffer in his remarks. “In order to honor those who were taken from us on September 11th, or those who we have lost since as a result of illness they suffered from their work as a first responder, live the same way you did on September 12th and the immediate days after.”