The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks tragically took the lives of nearly 3,000 innocent people, and now Evesham has ensured those lost will never be forgotten in the township by virtue of a new 9/11 memorial outside the Main Street firehouse.
On Sept. 27, residents, township officials, members of the police and fire-rescue departments, county and state officials and more all took time out of the township’s annual Harvest Fest to attend the dedication ceremony for the memorial and reflect on that day from 13 years ago.
The centerpiece of the memorial is a 13-foot-steel remnant from the World Trade Center in New York City, given to the township by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 2012.
At the front of the memorial are two several–foot-tall pieces of granite that evoke images of the two World Trade Center buildings, and embedded within the ground of the memorial walkway are 2,977 stars that illuminate at night, one to represent each life lost in the 9/11 attacks.
Mayor Randy Brown spoke at the dedication ceremony and used his time to remember all victims of the attacks, including Evesham resident LeRoy Homer, co-pilot of the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93.
Brown also praised Evesham’s first responders, and said all too often people take for granted the safety provided by the township’s police and fire-rescue departments.
Of the police department, Brown said it was one of the top in the state.
“I feel safe every night I go to bed as mayor of this town,” Brown said. “Chief (Christopher) Chew, what your men and women do and bring to work every day — it’s amazing and we’re thankful to have every one of you.”
Of the fire-rescue department, Brown said no matter what time the bell rings in a 24-hour period, the men and women of the fire-rescue are always ready for duty.
“Under Ted Lowden’s leadership of many decades, the fire district is the №1 fire district in the state of New Jersey — the amount of calls that we get, the amount of response time we have, is fabulous,” Brown said.
Also to speak at the ceremony was memorial project manager and Evesham Township Councilmember Bob DiEnna.
DiEnna spoke about all the individuals and businesses that contributed their time and skills to the project, and said any remaining balances would be raised privately to ensure “we’ll be able to say that the community built it.”
Also to speak was Lowden, the township’s fire chief.
Lowden said it was a heavy burden to represent both the fire-EMS and police departments regarding 9–11, as it turned the lives of emergency responders from first responders to first defenders.
“We now have to face the terrorist impact of being able to respond to different emergencies, many of which come not from your heater room or from your laundry room or from your neighbor next-door, but from across the oceans from people that we don’t even know,” Lowden said.
In regard to the memorial itself, Lowden said the fire district was proud to have it located in front of the Main Street firehouse, as 343 firefighters lost their lives in New York in the 9/11 attacks.
Lowden also said the memorial could be used to educate future generations, such as a friend who approached Lowden before the dedication about how he was unsure of how to explain to his young child how 9/11 occurred and what it meant.
“This memorial park is for people to come and reflect and never forget the sacrifices that were made that day and the vigilance that is required by us as a nation to ensure that it never happens again,” Lowden said.
