'We, as a country, promised to never forget'

The photos here depict the annual Woodbury Fire Department 9/11 memorial service. This year's service was the first since Mike Hanson passed away a little over a month of a 9/11 related illness.

"Mike was a retired NYPD Emergency Services Unit police officer and a long-time member of the Highland Mills Fire Company," noted Village of Woodbury Deputy Mayor Tim Egan. “Mike was beloved by everyone who had the great good fortune to know him. As a result, this year's memorial service was that much sadder."

Egan further observed that the 9/11 anniversary is a sad and stressful time for anyone in emergency services, especially those who were 9/11 responders.

"In addition to being a Trustee of the Village of Woodbury and the Deputy Mayor, I have had a career in EMS as a paramedic spanning four decades, and like thousands of others, I was a 9/11 responder," Egan said. "As time passes, the memory of 9/11 fades for many people, but not for us. We, as a country, promised to never forget, and we owe it to future generations to make sure that promise is kept."

- Bob Curtis