Duxbury Unveils 9/11 Monument on 20th Anniversary of Terror Attacks

by | Sep 12, 2021 | News

The Duxbury Fire Department commemorated the 20th Anniversary of the September 11 attacks and unveiled a new granite monument. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.

On the 20th anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks, the Duxbury Fire Department unveiled a new granite monument in front of the town’s fire station.

WATD’s Lenny Rowe files this report:

 

The Duxbury Fire Department ladder truck bell rang in four sets of five, in memory of American Airlines Flight 11, which flew into the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001.

On the 20th anniversary, the Duxbury Fire Department unveiled a monument in front of the fire station, with steel from Ground Zero donated by the New York City Fire Department.

“The steel was cut by Mike Geidel of Rescue 1,” said Duxbury Deputy Chief Rob Reardon. “His brother, Gary Geidel, was on Rescue 1 on 9/11, and was killed two weeks before his scheduled retirement of 20 years.”

Retired Rescue 1 firefighter Carl Scheetz drove from New York to Duxbury to personally deliver the steel.

The granite monument of the Twin Towers stands in the grass at the intersection of Mayflower and Tremont Street (Route 3A).

One of the towers will have stenciling that reads “Dedicated to those who fell, and those that carry on.” The other tower will have “May we never forget 9/11/2001.”

Those words are on the memorial wall at FDNY’s Ten House, the first due-in company to the World Trade Center on 9/11.

“If you lived through September 11, 2001 you will never forget it. If you lived through 9/11, you remember where you were when the news broke. Our younger generation didn’t live through it or experience it first-hand, like we did,” said Reardon. “This is one of the reasons this 9/11 memorial was so important to us. We want future generations to be reminded of the sacrifices so many made, and the innocent lives that were taken on that day. 9/11 affected so many families in very negative and horrible ways. But 9/11 also brought out the good, in so many people.”  

Reardon spearheaded the effort to create the monument over several years. The Duxbury Firefighters Local 2167 donated $5,343 in honor of the 343 fallen firefighters on 9/11. Island Creek Oysters donated $5,000. In addition to the six donors, numerous businesses donated to complete the project ahead of the ceremony.

Dozens of people gathered in front of the fire station Saturday for the unveiling, which was conducted by Fire Chief Kevin Nord — a Captain with Kingston Fire when he responded as part of a Plymouth County team to Ground Zero, and Firefighter/Paramedic Michael Cardoza – a Navy Corpsman who served combat tours in Fallujah and Nasiriyah.

“Twenty years later, I think we all need to look within ourselves as a community as a state, and as a country to find that unity and pride again. Hopefully it doesn’t take another national tragedy to get us there. We live in the best country in the world by a long shot, and we’re very lucky to be here,” said Cardoza. “God bless those who died, and continue to die from that tragedy. God bless the first responders who ran towards that mess. God bless the families who were and will continue to be affected for decades to come, and God bless America – never forget.”

The New York City Fire Department donated steel from Ground Zero for the Duxbury Fire Department monument. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.

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