Long Island families gather to remember 9/11 victims at Point Lookout
Families gathered at Point Lookout on Long Island Friday morning to mark 25 years since 9/11.
For Dorine Hetzel-Dand, returning to Point Lookout each year has become a pilgrimage.
The Garden City South mother is raising her children without their father, who died of 9/11-related cancer. Her brother, an FDNY firefighter, was killed in the North Tower.
For Hetzel-Dand, the annual Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony offers a place to grieve.
"There is something very beautiful about this sunrise coming here, the waves crashing. That is just something I need for my grief," she said.
The turnout at Point Lookout is overwhelming each year, with choirs and clergy offering comfort as families gather around sand sculptures and release carnations into the ocean.
Twenty-five years ago, CBS News New York crews were also at the beach as the attacks unfolded.
From the sand, the World Trade Center towers could be seen burning in the distance.
"From this beach, you could actually see the towers in flames, smoke coming up from the towers," said Hempstead Town Supervisor John Ferretti. "And so we want to keep this ceremony going each and every year."
For the Steckman family, the ceremony is a chance to honor their father, William, who was killed in the North Tower.
"It's comforting. We used to come here growing up with our dad. It was a happy place for us," said daughter Donna Steckman.
The Beckwith family of Baldwin also returns every year to remember their patriarch, Bob Beckwith, who became known for standing alongside President George W. Bush at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the attacks.
His widow, Barbara, said she and her husband would go to Point Lookout every year.
"It gets you all year. It really does. It gets you every day," she said.
A poignant part of the ceremony is the remembrance wall, where families and community members can write messages to loved ones who were killed on 9/11.
Many people say putting their memories into words is therapeutic. Some remembered exactly where they were when the attacks happened.
"I never will forget. I was working downtown at the time."
"I worked in a high school on this day, and it was the first day all the kids were back in school."
"I was in my uniform going to help, and I got to the Brooklyn Bridge, and it was blocked."
As flags waved, families gathered once again to remember those they lost. Twenty-five years later, their memories have not faded.
