The lessons of 9/11

By DVE-News/TV Reporters
DEERPARK, N.Y. — We were invited by Florence Santini, the Town of Deerpark Town Clerk, to participate in the town’s annual 9/11 event. The moment we walked in, they began the opening ceremony for the event. We stood behind Florence Santini, who is in charge of the ceremony.
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Orange County Sheriff Carl Dubois. We listened to the National Anthem played by the Broome Street Band. Then there was a moment of silence. Father Matthew Newcomb led everyone in the invocation. Town of Deerpark Supervisor Gary Spears was the main speaker.
Lieutenant Joseph Rennish spoke about his experiences as a firefighter during 9/11. The Port Jervis High School Chamber Choir then sang a song.
We were invited to place bows on the memorial tree.
Ms. Catharine Westfall invited us to sing with her. We sang "America," "America the Beautiful," and "God Bless America."
Mrs. Santini then invited everyone in for refreshments. That was when we began our interviews in the courtroom. DVSD Superintendent Dr. John Bell was interviewed first. When asked what he would tell children if another terrorist attack would occur, he told us that we live in a small town and are lucky because we are safer than being in a big city.
We then interviewed Lieutenant Joseph Rennish. He was a firefighter in New York City who began his career in 1967. He said he was taking care of his father when the planes first struck. The truck from his station was smashed and disintegrated when the weight of the towers fell. He said the people that were under the towers were never found, only their clothes. These people were his friends and people he worked with. He shared a book he brought with him that had pictures of that time. He told us he couldn’t promise that it wouldn’t happen again. He felt that this could happen again to the new towers, as the original towers were struck in 1993, and then again in 2001.
Chief of Police of Deerpark, Richard Sztyndor, was next to be interviewed. We asked him what he was doing when the attack occurred. He was at home on his treadmill watching television. He feels that we are safer now in that the federal, state, and local governments work together better. When asked if he had seen the new towers, Chief Sztyndor said that he never went back to see the new towers yet, but did see as they were rebuilding them. He told us to go about our lives and to be vigilant.
Up next was Town of Deerpark Supervisor Gary Spears and Tom Faggione, the Legislator of Orange County District 13. Town of Deerpark Supervisor Gary Spears was working in someone’s backyard when the attacks occurred. He thought it was just an accident, but when the second plane hit, he knew it wasn’t an accident. When asked if we were safer now, they both felt we were safer. People take more precautions. Tom Faggione, the Legislator of Orange County District 13, grew up in New York City. He saw the Twin Towers almost every day growing up. He was very sad when they collapsed and said he wasn’t ready to see the new towers yet. He felt that it affected everyone in the United States. He lost friends that day.
We hope to go to the 9/11 Twin Towers Memorial in New York City one day soon. We learned a lot about 9/11 and that although we did lose many people that day, we should not be afraid to live our lives and to hope for the best every day. We need to learn from history and not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
By DVE-News/TV Reporters Adam Alfieri, Julia Boronow, Emily Ford, Chloe Longhenry, Hayden Opitz, Jaida Palacios, and Lauren Whyte.