Newark, Del. — Delawareans joined observers across the country as they commemorated the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Friday marked a quarter-century since four commercial airliners were hijacked and crashed in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, killing approximately 3000 people and altering the course of national politics and global conflict permanently.
Uniformed first responders, members of the military, elected officials, and members of the public quietly bowed their heads in prayer and listened to speakers at a solemn morning ceremony before processing memories with each other at Olan Thomas Park in Newark.
Delaware State Representative Mara Gorman was in attendance. Gorman recently learned she was pregnant with her son on September 11, 2001. She remembers watching the news and thinking about how her child would grow up in a different world than the one she grew up in. “He’s never lived in a world without going through security, for example,” she explained.
Rep. Gorman also felt “distressed” thinking about the position of the country in the 25 years since the tragedy. “We haven’t learned how to exist in the international order without being at war,” she told the Call. She recalled the public “immediately jumping to ask, ‘Who do we fight?’”
Gorman lamented that the period after the attacks has been “romanticized.” “Without assigning blame,” she elaborated that the aftermath “created so much Islamophobia” and made “racism and hate so much worse.”
Kevin Collaco, a Ground Zero first responder who is now an educator at the University of Delaware, delivered remarks during the ceremony. He recounted “organized chaos” in the immediate aftermath of the collapse of the World Trade Center. “I felt as if I was on a movie set,” he said during his speech. After the shock wore off, he recalled “human moments” of survivors “trying to reclaim life” during the recovery efforts.
“The 3000 people was not just a number,” he said. “Each was a life.”
Newark resident Syam Kosigi was traveling in Connecticut on September 11. He recalled seeing “fumes” rising over New York City as he returned to Delaware via train. Kosigi, who is an immigrant from India, remembers being “inspired by the resilience of Americans.” He told the Call he attended the Newark memorial to show solidarity with the American people.
Gov. Matt Meyer ordered Delaware flags be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset “in memory and respect” to those killed and impacted by the attacks. 25th anniversary commemoration events were also hosted in New Castle, Middletown, Claymont, Smyrna, Camden, Woodside, Dover, Milton, Georgetown, and Ocean View.