Six years later, memory of 37 victims kept alive
BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer

People file into Middletown's World Trade Center Memorial Gardens, where 37 township residents who lost their lives during the attacks are commemorated. The service was held on the sixth anniversary of the attacks last week.

MIDDLETOWN - Sept. 11 in Middletown was overcast and rainy, a sharp contrast to the clear, bright day six years ago when 37 township residents were among the thousands killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center in New York.

A lone bagpiper played on in the background as people slowly gathered at the Middletown World Trade Center Memorial Gardens for the township's annual memorial service. Some hugged as they saw each other, sharing shelter under the many umbrellas that sprung up as the wind and rain intensified. A young woman asked an older one how she was doing. The older woman sniffed a bit before telling her, "It's all right. It's all right."

At 8:46 a.m., the bagpipes stopped and the only sound was the whistle of a train pulling into the nearby station. Middletown Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger spoke before the assembled crowd, flanked by members of Congress and the Assembly as well as by police. He said that, even after six years, we should take care to never forget and to always honor the memories of those who fell that day.

"I think it's important that we keep the memory of this day alive," Scharfenberger said.

He then proceeded to solemnly and calmly read the names of all 37 Middletown residents who lost their lives during the attacks on the World Trade Center on that fateful day.

"Everything we can do shall be done to remember these people," Scharfenberger said after concluding the list.

The mayor then ceded the podium to the Rev. Scott Harris, who led the audience in a moment of prayer. Some bowed their heads. He noted the parking lot near where they were standing.

"Many cars stood idle in this parking lot, their drivers to never return," Harris said.

As the rain picked up, Scharfenberger invited all to take a walk through the memorial garden, laid with stones commemorating the Middletown residents who died in the attacks. The large stones along the side of the wooded path are engraved with epitaphs such as "beloved mother" and "perfect son." Next to these words are their faces, spattered with the few drops of rain that managed to make it past the tree canopy.

While some walked on, others stopped in front of certain stones. Some stared. Some cried. Some embraced the loved ones that were still nearby. They talked about the person the stones commemorated with each other. Some, exiting the wooded path, walking to their cars, fought back tears.

One man who had lost his son in the attacks said it was a good memorial for the victims, though he wished it hadn't been downsized from years past. He talked about how important it was to keep that day in the front of one's mind.

"I'm disappointed that they downsized it, not because of my personal loss, but I think it's important that people in the U.S. realize that this could happen again and it's important to be up front as a constant reminder. We're losing a lot of boys and girls in Iraq and that's just a terrible thing," said Brick's Justin Molisani Sr., the father of Lincroft's Justin Molisani Jr.