Hundreds brave torrential downpours for annual 9/11 remembrance at Point Lookout
POINT LOOKOUT, N.Y. -- Monday, hundreds returned to Point Lookout, where Long Islanders gathered spontaneously and watched from afar as the Twin Towers burned and fell 22 years ago.
With the passage of time comes deep sorrow about how much their loved ones have missed.
For the first time, Sept. 11 skies poured upon the crowd that gathers at Point Lookout every year. But no one budged in the torrential downpour.
It's a sunrise pilgrimage that conjures memories that are still crystal clear for so many.
"It's like a standstill. This was all like it happened last week. It just never goes away. It's right there in front of you every day," said Tess Hunter, whose son, Joseph Hunter, was killed on 9/11.
Olivia Vilardi-Perez was 10 when her father perished.
"It doesn't get easier. Major life events occur and he's not here to be there with you, or look for advice and he's not there to be there with you, but you prevail, you survive," said Vilardi-Perez.
They return here to cast flowers into the ocean and remember the 497 Long Island residents who were killed.
"That's my cousin, Charles. He passed away in the south tower. He was an electrician for PE Stone. He went to work, it was his second day there," said Victor Elefante. "Come September 1st, the remembrances start, and that really nice coat of armor that you build up through the year gets completely taken away and you're right back to where you were that day."
Their names are now joined by 5,000 more who have died from 9/11-related illnesses, like Joseph Hatzelman, an FDNY member who ran to save lives on his day off without considering his own safety.
"Most of the guys, they couldn't see or breathe with some of the protective equipment that they gave, and they all just ripped it off and did whatever they had to do," said Hatzelman's son, Joseph.
"I think that's important that people recognize the events happened 22 years ago, but we lose lives every single day," said Hempstead Town Supervisor Donald Clavin.
"I just have to try my best to educate the next generation so that this doesn't happen, that people come from places of love and compassion and kindness, an we look at each other as neighbors and not enemies," said Vilardi-Perez.
Under a dark sky, the promise to never forget was fulfilled.
