Easton Honors Lives Lost on Sept. 11

EASTON, Conn. – Sept. 11 leaves an “unsettling feeling” each year for Lucy Crossman – a feeling that she said she hopes doesn’t go away.

“I think every town should have something to remember the sacrifices made that day and what was lost that day,” said Crossman, secretary at the Easton Fire Company. “I remember that day – and for months after – how people seemed to be different toward each other.

"We were together – we weren’t so splintered. It’s important that we remember how we came together then and how people helped in so many large and small ways and so many good things have come out of Sept. 11.”

The Easton Fire Company is working hard to get its Sept. 11 memorial standing for a ceremony Sunday. The memorial, right in front of the firehouse, will feature a steel piece of the World Trade Center.

A dedication ceremony will be at 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11. Katherine Waugh, daughter of Assistant Fire Chief Steve Waugh, will sing and Bob Davies will play the pipes. Monsignor Thomas Driscoll from Notre Dame Church will bless the memorial. The fire chief and president will each give a short speech as well.

“The ceremony will celebrate the lives of those lost that day and celebrate the heroism of the first responders and keep the memory of what happened alive,” said Crossman. The memorial will be approachable so residents can touch it and feel that it symbolizes something important, she said.

Flags for each of the 343 firefighters who died Sept. 11 will decorate the firehouse green Sunday. Sept. 11 brought together the “brotherhood” of firefighters, said Crossman.

“They did what firefighters do every day, what police officers do and what EMTs do: They went where they were needed and they responded,” Crossman said. “There were images of firefighters going up stairs as everyone was running down – firefighters going to the towers as people were running away. I thought, ‘I hope the people got out'; but I knew there were firefighters in the building when it came down … because that’s what they do.” 

What are you doing to mark the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11? How does it make you feel? Send your story to shenry@thedailyeaston.com or leave your comments in the box below. 

Click here to follow Daily Voice Westport and receive free news updates.