Marseilles remembers 9/11 at Middle East Conflict Wall

The Middle East Conflict Wall in Marseilles holds over 8,000 names, many of whom died in defense of their country after 9/11.

Residents gathered Saturday morning to pay their respects and commemorate the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon that took place Sept. 11, 2001.

Firefighter Jeff Owens, reading a message from Marseilles Fire Chief Dave Parrot, probably said it best: there isn’t a single person who doesn’t remember where they were when they heard the north tower was struck at 8:36 a.m.

“As a firefighter, we sit and talk about when the big one happens and what we will do, or what it would be like,” Parrot said. “If you were a New York firefighter, this would be about as big as it gets.”

Parrot said he couldn’t imagine fighting a 110-story structure fire with a plane crash between the 93rd and 99th floor, and called the magnitude of it overwhelming, especially after having to throw 70 extra pounds of equipment on to climb stairs to perform a rescue.

News reporter Kate Reynolds said, much like the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Bobby Kennedy, 9/11 is a day where everyone remembers where they were.

“2,977 people were murdered along with the 19 Saudi hijackers, and, of those, 246 were on the four planes,” Reynolds said. “2606 were in the World Trade Center and in the surrounding area.”

Reynolds shared stories of those that made a difference on that day, who saved the lives of many others and became unexpected heroes.

One such man is Welles Crowther, an equities trader and volunteer firefighter, who saved as many as 18 lives during the attacks before losing his own life. He was 24.

Another was Rick Rescorla, the head of security for Morgan Stanley who implemented evacuation procedures against orders, saving thousands of lives.

Police Chief Brian Faber said he was on patrol with then-recruit — and now Capt. Todd Gordon — when he heard about the towers being struck. They thought it was a scene from a movie at first.

“The lives that were lost that day were mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, friends and colleagues,” Faber said. “We can not forget to celebrate their lives. It’s impossible to believe that it has been 20 years; 20 years of heartache and confusion, but also strength and community.”

The Middle East Conflict Wall now has a piece of block from the Pentagon, thanks in part to Raymond Prokaski Sr.

“In April of 2014, we had a small motorcycle ride to escort the stone to here, the Pentagon artifact,” Prokaski said. “Right in front of the wall was where it was given to us and then it was taken to the National Guard right over the bridge to keep safe until we could get it mounted where it is today.”