By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
On Sept. 11, 2019 the Cazenovia community assembled at Memorial Park for a candlelight vigil in commemoration of the 18th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Members of the public, local emergency response and veterans groups, elected officials, religious leaders, and Cazenovia High School students joined together to memorialize the victims of the tragedy and honor the heroism of first responders and service members since that day.
Eric Byers, chief of operations of the Cazenovia Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps (CAVAC), served as the keynote speaker.
Byers began his speech with a reminder that nearly 3,000 people died on 9/11 at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and on Flight 93, and that many more, who participated in the 9-month rescue and recovery operation, have since died from exposure to hazardous materials.
The speaker then remarked that while many Americans possess vivid memories of that day, the tragedy is just a moment in history to anyone under the age of 18.
“If the tangible, palpable emotions associated with 9/11 ultimately fade, will our dedication to never forget diminish with time,” Byers asked. “If you don’t have the perspective of where you were or what you were doing, the pain felt in response to such a horrific event, will future observances be diminished by the loss of a strong connection to that day’s events? Are we destined to [forget]?”
Rather than attempt to fathom and pass on the emotions that they did not personally experience, Byers advised young people to focus on the courage, strength and resiliency that blossomed amid the attacks.
“People on 9/11 didn’t step aside, they stepped up,” he said. “This is who we are as a nation. So even though many of you do not possess first hand knowledge of that day, if you contemplate the depth of the willingness of the people around you to care for one another, to aid a complete stranger no matter the price, you will understand 9/11, not as a moment from history, but as a link in an unbreakable chain that continues to define us as a nation, and that is how we will never forget.”
The ceremony also included renditions of ‘God Bless America’ and the ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ led by the Cazenovia High School Chamber Choir; a prayer by Deacon/Pastoral Assistant Kody LaBarthe of the Missio Church; bugle calls; silent reflection; the laying of a wreath on the Firefighters Memorial; and the hoisting of the flag from half to full-staff.
The annual 9/11 observance is coordinated by members of Project CAFÉ — a student-directed non-profit organization that, as part of its mission, organizes Cazenovia community service projects and events, in the hopes of improving and connecting the entire community.
