Kids & Family

Seaford Pays Tribute to 9/11 Victims

Annual Candlelight service at Seaford High School.

A dozen years later the Seaford community still turned out to remember the victims of 9/11 in large numbers.

The community held its annual candlelight vigil and memorial ceremony at Seaford High School Wednesday night, as hundreds turned out to remember the school's five alumni who were killed in the terror attacks.

They are:

  • Tommy Haskell, an FDNY battalion Chief
  • Timothy Haskell, an FDNY firefighter who was Tommy's brother.
  • John Perry, a New York City police officer.
  • Robert Sliwak, a broker at Cantor Fitzgerald
  • Michael Wittenstein, also a broker at Cantor Fitzgerald.
The ceremony was held at the high school's  9/11 Memorial which honors the five victims. Photos of the five were displayed at the memorial.

But the Memorial is for everyone, according to Tom Condon of the Seaford 9/11 Memorial Committee.

"The ceremony does recognize all the victims," he said. 

The Nassau County Police Pipe and Drum performed "Amazing Grace"  while Police, firefighters and other uniformed personnel stood at attention. THere was a musical tribute by FDNY member Jeremy Riddle. 

Those in attendance lit candles during the musical interlude.

The 9/11 Memorial Committee stresses service as part of their  efforts and encourages students to commit to service at the ceremony.

They also strive to educate students in the Seaford district, bringing the class of 2014 to the September 11 Memorial last year.

This year, there will be a program for fifth graders to teach them about the attacks. The guest speaker will be Kenneth Haskell, also an FDNY member who was a brother of two of the Seaford victims.

Haskell says he wants to emphasize the "selflessness" of how the five victims lived there lives. 

"One of the most important things is that we learn from our history.  don't want to see my son's generation have to deal with the pain that my generation."



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