Orange County holds ceremony to remember 9/11 victims.
Remembering the Lives Lost on September 11th
Forty-four Orange County residents who tragically lost their lives during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were honored and remembered at a heartfelt ceremony in Thomas Bull Memorial Park.
Mary Bratton, a mother who lost her daughter that day, shared her emotional experience with The Epoch Times, saying, “I felt it was like yesterday. It is hard every day. It never goes away.”
Her daughter, Michelle Renee Bratton, was just 23 years old and working as an executive assistant at the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center when the terrorist-hijacked planes struck the buildings.
“Just before the attack, I stayed with Michelle and Erin [her other daughter] in their apartment to try to help them move in, and at three o’clock in the morning, I woke up, and there was a blue light around her,” she said. “I knew something was going on but didn’t know what.”
Throughout the years, Ms. Bratton found solace in her faith and realized the importance of remaining vigilant. She emphasized, “We always have to be vigilant because our enemies are always trying to figure out ways to attack us. It was the premonition that we let our guard down. We kind of slipped.”
Following the tragedy, Ms. Bratton and her husband, Bill Bratton, established a memorial scholarship fund in their daughter’s name to support high school graduates from the Pine Bush School District.
Another attendee, Carolyn Livesey, from Middletown, faithfully accompanied her best friend, Heloiza Asaro, to the remembrance ceremony every year. Ms. Asaro’s husband, a firefighter, tragically lost his life on that fateful day.
Carolyn Livesey shared, “All the time, we think of him, and we pray for him and his family.”
Carl Asaro left behind six children, four of whom followed in their father’s footsteps to become firefighters.
The ceremony paid tribute to all 44 residents who lost their lives in the September 11 attacks. Each name was solemnly read aloud, followed by the tolling of a bell.
County Executive Steve Neuhaus expressed his pride in the community, stating, ”We do remember, we do reflect, and we never forget in this country. I am so proud of everyone for coming here.”
Congressman Patrick Ryan, County Clerk Kelly Eschew, and three county legislators, Janet Sutherland, Joseph Minuta, and Leigh Benton, were also present at the ceremony.
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