In New Jersey town that lost dozens on 9/11, memorial garden serves as place of solace

Middletown, New Jersey, had more residents killed in the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, than any other town outside of New York City.

For many of the 37 victims, the train station was the last place they saw before heading into Manhattan.

Near that station is the home of the Middletown World Trade Center Memorial Gardens, a place Kenneth and Janice Tietjen visit to be close to their son, Kenny, a Port Authority police officer who was killed in the 9/11 attacks.

"We love it. It is so beautiful. It's so peaceful and quiet. We just come here, stand by his stone and say a few prayers," Kenneth Tietjen said. "He was a hero and we are so proud of him, you know?"

Three dozen other Middletown residents are also memorialized in the gardens, their faces etched in stones that sit along a winding pathway.

Matthew Casey's mother, Kathleen, was killed in the South Tower when he was 14. She ran the equities desk at Sandler O'Neill.

"Amazing woman and an amazing mother," Casey said.

Casey said he's more comfortable at the gardens than visiting a cemetery.

"This is where we grew up. This is where I take my kids to see grandma Kathy come Mother's Day. [They] drop off art projects and everything," Casey said.

Casey named his daughter "Kate" after his mom, to help cope with his grief.

"Nine years ago, when we found out we were having a girl, we knew ... that's a sign from above, my mom."

Memorial gardens getting a facelift

Middletown Mayor Tony Perry said it is important to preserve the memorial gardens for future generations, adding the town is making major renovations this year. He said $800,000 worth of upgrades are expected to be complete by the 25th anniversary.

"All new walkway, all new lighting, new vegetation," Perry said. "There are generations of people after me that didn't witness those attacks and that devastating day."

There is also a memorial stone for Joseph Capriotti, a detective who had the unenviable task of telling families their loved ones had died. He later died from a 9/11-related illness.

"It's very hard because I know personal friends who were there with me and we lost them," Middletown Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Morrissey said.

Morrissey spent days searching through debris at Ground Zero. He has since been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

"Nobody knew what we were getting into, but we had to go," he said.

"It was really this awful day"

Despite the passage of 25 years, the pain has not gone away for the victims' families.

On 9/11, Kenny Tietjen, then just 31, reported to a Port Authority command center on his day off and went into the towers to save lives.

"While he was in there, of course, the towers came down and he died," Kenneth Tietjen said.

More than three dozen fellow officers were also killed.

"It was really this awful day. I cried for days and days and days, and my wife did, too," Kenneth Tietjen said.

"The stabbing in the heart is still there when you think of who he was and what kind of a person he was," said an emotional Janice Tietjen, who wears her son's picture around her neck.

The Tietjens created a foundation in their son's memory to help those in need. 

The couple, who are both in their 80s, are angry Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the attacks, and others have yet to stand trial.

"Twenty-five years later, there is still no justice. They have the four terrorists in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, who have gone through a trial for over 20 years," Janice Tietjen said.

The Tietjens visited Guantanamo and say they will keep fighting for justice to make sure their son and other victims are never forgotten.