Under a hot morning sun, local officials, first responders, and residents gathered Saturday at Woolsey Park for the Hopewell Valley 9/11 and Emergency Services Memorial ceremony, honoring the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the attacks and the countless emergency personnel who rushed in to help.
Two ladder trucks hoisted a giant American flag above the park’s entrance as guests filed in, setting a solemn tone for the service held before the township’s memorial that incorporates a large steel beam from the World Trade Center. This year marks the 24th anniversary of the attacks, and the 15th time the community has gathered at the site since the memorial’s dedication.
Remembering and honoring
Bagpiper Doug Conners opened the ceremony before the Joint Hopewell Valley Color Guard presented the colors. Hopewell Chief Joseph Novak led the national anthem, followed by an invocation from Deacon Michael Riley from the Pennington Fire Company.
Michael A. Chipowsky, chairman of the Hopewell Valley 9/11 and Emergency Services Memorial Committee and retired chief, told attendees the duty of remembrance extends not only to those who perished in the attacks but also to members of the local emergency services family who have since passed away.
“It is our solemn duty to remember,” Chipowsky said. “It’s said a person dies twice. The first, when they take their final breath, and the second, when their name is no longer mentioned. It is our duty to be sure that these heroes are never forgotten.”
Local leaders reflect
Hopewell Township Mayor Courtney Peters-Manning said the anniversary remains a call for unity.
“Today more than ever it is critical that we remember how our nation came together in the immediate aftermath of that tragedy,” she said. “It reminds us that we are one America and that there is more that unites us than drives us apart.”
She thanked local police, fire, EMS, and public works personnel for “showing up when people are having their worst day.”
A personal account of 9/11
The ceremony’s keynote speaker, retired Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office Captain Gary Wasko, shared his firsthand experiences in New York following the attacks. Then a young detective, Wasko described being deployed to Ground Zero and later to the Fresh Kills Landfill, where he and fellow officers sifted through debris in search of remains and personal effects.
“I went there every weekend for about six months,” Wasko said. “I wish I could say that it didn’t bother me, but I can’t. If you know somebody that went there, just thank them for what they did. They are true heroes.”
Paying tribute
Emergency service members read aloud the names of Hopewell Valley first responders who died in the past year. The ceremony also honored longtime Mercer County Fire Marshal George Lenhardt, remembered as a towering figure in the fire service who served for more than three decades.
Music interwove the tributes: Novak sang “Danny Boy” and “God Bless the USA,” while Conners returned on bagpipes for “Amazing Grace.” The ceremony closed with Riley’s benediction, offering prayers for the protection of police, firefighters, and EMTs.
A symbol moving to Borough Hall
In addition to the memorial at Woolsey Park, another piece of World Trade Center steel that lives in the Hopewell Valley is changing locations. A smaller piece of steel has been in the Hopewell Branch of the Mercer County Library for the past year and will be relocated to Hopewell Borough Hall on Sept. 11. The processional will start near Hopewell Elementary around 8:45am and then go down Broad St. arriving for a ceremony at Borough Hall beginning around 9:15am.
Next year, the Hopewell Valley community will mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Chipowsky closed the event by thanking attendees and noting, “We will be here again to remember.”
