Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Delivers Remarks at Staten Island September 11th Postcards Memorial

September 11, 2015

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you so much, Jimmy. I want to thank everyone for being here tonight. And I want to thank Jimmy Oddo, because he just said so much that I think we all are feeling. And as usual, he said it with a full heart. I think he just talked about the common link we’re all feeling this evening. It’s hard, sometimes, to see, but it’s there – and this day makes it so clear to all of us. So, it is a special thing to have a leader who understands all of our humanity so deeply. Let’s thank our borough president for all he does.

[Applause]

Thank you to all my colleagues in government – everyone who took the time to be here because you know it matters. It’s so important to show solidarity with each other.

This is a very tough day each year. It’s a very long day. I was at the memorial earlier today at Ground Zero, and – when you talk to family members, one of the things that becomes so clear is how long the day is – because the memories flood back, and all the challenges happen all over again.

And at the same time, when you talk to the family members, and you talk to everyone who was a part of that day, there is an amazing sense of shared struggle, as – Jimmy alluded to that lyric – the people together fought their way through, and support each other to this very day. That’s something we have to take stock of. That’s something we have to appreciate amidst all the pain.

The day makes it vivid, so it’s hard. I remembered, listened for the names of a good man – a firefighter I knew – we lost; the son of another union leader we lost; the daughter of my children’s Pre-K teacher, lost that day. All of us, whether it was a family member, a friend, or someone else you were close to who lost one of their loved ones, you – you felt it very, very personally, and this day brings it back.

So, even amidst that pain, though, everyone has each other. Everyone has each other, and that’s something, in some way, that gives us real solace, even 14 years later.

There are children who are starting high school this week who weren’t even born then – that’s how long it’s been. That’s how long it’s been, and yet, it feels so vivid and sharp.

This borough felt so much pain that day – sacrificed so much that day for so many reasons, starting with the fact that Staten Island is home to so many of our first responders. So many of the firefighters, and the EMTs, and the police officers who ran toward the danger lived here – and so many other good, hardworking New Yorkers who went that day to work, thinking it was just a beautiful, late summer day.

In this borough, there are many wonderful and close neighborhoods that really feel more like small towns all knit together. And that sense of community is one of the things that makes Staten Island special – and it’s also one of the things that makes 9/11 in some ways more painful, in some ways a day people know they can look forward to a lot of support during.

In a few minutes, you’re going to hear the names of the Staten Islanders who were lost. So many loved ones, and so many noble people who stood up for all of us – the 343 FDNY members; the dozens of NYPD and Port Authority officers; the EMTs; all the first responders; and the 2,500 plus more who simply went to work that day – just good people trying to provide for their families and live a good life, all – every one of them – remembered today.

But the 274 Staten Islanders, they gave, in the words of Abraham Lincoln – the famous speech at Gettysburg – they gave the last full measure of their devotion, whether it was as public servants or loving family members. And so, they’re remembered and mourned every day they’re invoked on this island.

We lost Staten Islanders from every walk of life. We lost Firefighter Anthony Rodriguez of Meiers Corners – a father of six and a 10-year Navy veteran. We lost Francis Haros of Eltingville – a doting grandmother who loved working so much, she wouldn’t give up her job as a receptionist. We lost Police Officer James Leahy of Westerleigh – father of three and a dedicated football fan. We lost good people. And their memories are felt every day because they were so good and they were such good examples. And we wish we could just reach out and touch them. The fact that we can’t brings us pain, but the fact that we remember them so sharply should give us a sense of hope. And the heroic and extraordinary stories that should inspire us today just – as if they happened yesterday – one of them so well known – the story of Firefighter Stephen Siller of West Brighton – served in Squad 1 in my neighborhood in Brooklyn. He was off duty at the time, like so many – the fact that he was off duty did not stop him from going to the front. He heard the reports of the planes hitting the towers. He drove to the firehouse, he grabbed his gear. And famously, on the way to join his squad at the towers, traffic had ground to a halt in the Battery Tunnel, so he got out of his car and he strapped on 60 pounds of gear and ran through the tunnel to the towers. And ultimately, he made the ultimate sacrifice that day.

In honor of his life, his legacy, something powerful happens each year. Thousands retrace his courageous steps in the Tunnel to Towers 5k Run. And it’s not just an act of remembrance – it’s something that does so much good for the charity founded in his name – supporting injured first responders and veterans. That act of heroism is reenacted in every sense, including reaching out to those who serve us. We all have to keep standing by the first responders from the day and from every day. But those who served that day, the work is still so unfinished. We’re once again working in Washington to just get the justice they deserve. And the victims of 9/11 related illnesses need everything we have to give. We have a moral responsibility to be there for those who sacrifice so much.

As I conclude, I want to note something that Jimmy said – the way he hears his father’s voice encouraging him, reminding him – sometimes a little bit of scolding, but always with love. On a day like this, you can hear their voices clearly. Again, those we lost, you can hear their voices. You can hear the messages they are giving us. In the end, they are telling us – I believe to be strong. They’re reminding us of all that they loved so we have another reason to keep going. A sad day – but a day when this city stands strong and this borough stands strong. So, please today, listen for their voices. Listen for those we love. Hear them again. Let them help us to be better every single day – to be a better place, to live in their memory, and be as good as them.

Thank you and God bless you all.