On Wednesday morning, Warwick residents and government officials joined together at the Warwick 9/11 Memorial in Oakland Beach to reflect on the past 18 years, and pay their respects to those lost as a result of the terrorist attack. Those who spoke talked about the tragic loss that occurred within the Warwick community and beyond, and reflected on what happened that fateful day.
Attendees gathered under a tent with the ocean serving as a backdrop behind the first responders gathered in uniform. The wind lapped through the willows nearby, stiffening the American flag that flew at half-staff, and blew out onto the bay. Apart from the sound of the wind, the scene was quiet – the serious nature of the moment palpable.
Warwick Representative Camille Vella-Wilkinson was the Master of Ceremonies, and opened the 18th memorial saying, “On September 11th 2001, the North tower of the World Trade Center, engulfed in the flames of terrorism and covered in the smoke of hatred, fell in an exhausted heap.”