HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (Warren County) — Mayor Jerry DiMaio led Hackettstown’s 25th anniversary September 11 remembrance ceremony Friday morning at the 9/11 Memorial in front of the Municipal Building, honoring the lives lost in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The ceremony began with the American Legion Blue Ridge Post #164 Color Guard presenting the colors, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the Hackettstown High School Marching Band performing the National Anthem.
Dr. Timothy Nicinski, chaplain and director of Campus Ministries at Centenary University, delivered the invocation before DiMaio gave opening remarks.
“Today, we gather together as a community to pause, to remember, and to honor the lives lost on September 11, 2001,” DiMaio said.
DiMaio also spoke about Hackettstown’s personal connection to September 11 through Bruce E. Simmons, a Hackettstown resident who worked on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center’s South Tower and was among those who lost their lives that day. Simmons was a 1978 graduate of Hackettstown High School.
“His story reminds us that September 11th was not simply something that happened somewhere else. Its loss reached right here into Hackettstown,” DiMaio said.
The ceremony continued with a moment of silence, followed by Hackettstown High School senior Naomi Schicker singing “Amazing Grace.”
Former Hackettstown Mayor Roger Hines, who served as mayor at the time of the September 11 attacks, then offered remarks.
Following closing remarks, Hackettstown High School Marching Band members Sophia Stoma, a sophomore, and Jordana Bracuti, a senior, performed Taps. Nicinski then delivered the benediction before the retirement of the colors.
Members of the Hackettstown Police Department, Hackettstown Fire Department and Hackettstown First Aid & Rescue Squad were also in attendance.
“Twenty-five years later, we continue to gather because the passage of time does not diminish the importance of remembering,” DiMaio said. “May we carry the memories of those we lost—not only today, but throughout the year—and may we continue to teach our children and grandchildren why September 11th must never be forgotten.”
