Hunterdon County gathers to remember those lost and honors heroes at 9/11 remembrance ceremony
FLEMINGTON, NJ (Hunterdon County) – The Hunterdon County Commissioners on Wednesday joined Sheriff Fred Brown members of the local law enforcement and first responder communities, along with other officials on the front steps of the Hunterdon County Justice Center, on Park Avenue in Flemington, for the annual Hunterdon County 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony.
Retired Hunterdon County Chief of Staff and Public Safety Director, George Wagner, served as the Guest Speaker for the ceremony. He began his service as a County Corrections Officer in 1980, rising in rank to become the Warden of the Hunterdon County Jail, a post he had at the time of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Wagner retired in 2021, after having served as the County’s Director of Public Safety and Chief of Staff Sheriff Brown, who reinitiated the 9/11 Remembrance event in 2017, has led the ceremonies in Hunterdon County every year since then and said, “This ceremony is a commemoration which remembers all those lost on September 11th, 2001, particularly the sixteen Hunterdon County residents who perished that day, it is too significant of an event not to be continued.”
“Each year as we honor the memory of those who perished in the attacks of September 11th, 2001, we remember those lost at the World Trade Center, including nearly 400 first responders and law enforcement officers, those killed in the Pentagon attack, the heroes on United Airlines flight 93, and those innocent passengers aboard American Airlines Flights 11 and 77, and United Airlines Flight 175 that day. Let us also not forget the many individuals that are still suffering from health issues and medical conditions related to the September 11th attacks, as a result of the toxic dust and smoke. It is vital that their sacrifices are never forgotten as well,” Brown said.
Legislative members and County Officials in attendance included a representative from Congressman Tom Kean’s office, Assemblyman Erik Peterson, Assemblywoman Mitchelle Drulis, Commissioner Director Jeff Kuhl, Deputy Director Susan Soloway, Commissioners’ John Lanza, Shaun C. Van Doren, and Zach Rich, County Clerk Mary Melfi, Surrogate Heidi Rohrbach, County Prosecutor Renée Robeson, and Chief of Detectives Tim Drew.
Reverend David Errickson provided the invocation and Clinton Fire Department and Hunterdon County Fire Chiefs Association Chaplain Larry Coyne gave the Benediction. The Hunterdon Harmonizers opened with ‘God Bless The USA’ to lead off the ceremony.
Chiefs and officers from the Hunterdon County Law Enforcement community, Rescue Squads, and Volunteer Fire Companies joined the Remembrance ceremony. Dan Torrone, served as Master of Ceremonies for the event.
The tolling of the bell 16 times to commemorate the 16 Hunterdon County residents who were lost in the September 11th attacks, was followed by a bagpipe rendition of “Amazing Grace”, by James Curry of the Somerset County Pipes and Drums.
“It is crucial that we remember the events of September 11th, where terrorist attacks claimed thousands of lives, targeting our nation, our freedoms, and our way of life. This ceremony ensures that the truth remains unchanged by time or revisionist history. Hunterdon County will never forget,” Brown said.
