Honoring The Victims of September 11, 2001 | Reflecting Upon A Most Tragic Day

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By Michael Perlman

On the 23rd anniversary of 9/11, may the memory of the brave souls always serve as a blessing, and may we keep their memory alive with every heartbeat, and by committing good deeds and embracing and defending our American spirit. May the rays of light beam with immense luster. We are all victims who must unite in solidarity. Let’s extend much gratitude to our heroes who came to our rescue on a day that time stood still, and in the months and years that followed by walking in their footsteps to continue to offer aid and generosity of spirit, as well as by preserving the memory of all victims. We must never forget.

The deadliest terrorist attack in human history was numbered at 2,977 victims, with casualties at the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77, and United Airlines Flight 93. Today, 9/11-related illnesses continue to take lives. Locals among citywide residents are sharing a wide range of stories to keep the memory of victims alive and honor diverse heroes, with hopes that all terrorism can be crushed.

Author Michael J. Weinstein of Syosset, a native Briarwood resident, heroically participates in the annual 9/11 remembrance ceremony alongside the nearly 3,000-name inscribed bronze memorial. He has long delivered testimony in memory of Steve Belson (1950 – 2001), his mother’s youngest cousin, who was raised in Fresh Meadows. Belson was a Rockaway Beach lifeguard, prior to joining the FDNY. He was known as “Mr. Ladder 24,” since he was based at Engine 1, Ladder 24 on West 31st Street.

“He lost his dad at a young age, and while serving at Engine 1, he became good friends with Father Mychal Judge at St Francis of Asisi. Steve had back surgery at age 50, was on ‘light duty,’ and was the driver for Battalion Chief Orio Palmer and Father Judge,” said Weinstein. “Many of Steve’s friends told me over the years that he would do anything for anybody. In fact, on 9/11, he was supposed to be off, but he switched days so another firefighter could be with his family.”

Weinstein remembers him as a great inspiration. “I was on the swimming team in middle school and high school, and Steve would always ask about my times and swim meets at family gatherings. He was always a guy I looked up to. When I became a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch in the mid-1990s, he would often caution me not to let myself or my clients get burned. That proved to be wise advice. After Steve died, they ran a Steve Belson Memorial Swim on Rockaway Beach, and I participated for many years. In Steve’s memory, his mother, Madeline Brandstater, would give $1,000 to several Queens lifeguards.” Today, B 92^nd Street is co-named Stephen “Bells” Belson Beach Way from Rockaway Beach to the boardwalk.

Teachers were heroes, as proven by Forest Hills Gardens resident Anna Guasto. On September 16, 2001, she composed an email to her friend in France, chronicling her experience and conveying a message of perseverance. It read, “The worst part was seeing the destruction as it was happening right from our spacious school windows. When we saw the gaping hole in the first tower, we thought it might be a bizarre accident. By the time the second tower was sliced into, we knew our darkest fears materialized. The eeriest part of all was seeing the towers, and then a while later not seeing them at all. The most challenging part was having to continue teaching.  It was amazing that I was able to get my students to focus on Spanish, even if it was by teaching them my corny little Spanish vowel melody. They enjoyed making a game of it and participated.”

She continued, “Although we were ‘held captive’ in the school building, while all the mayhem was whirling about us, and we could see from our classroom windows the smoke billowing, it was probably the safest place for the students at the time because of the mass exodus from downtown. Throughout the day, several students were in tears because their loved ones either worked in the towers or the surrounding buildings. Part of our job in the days and weeks ahead is to reach out to these students, and to help them maintain a sense of normalcy through their school routines. In essence, we must carry on!”

Manhattan resident Halli Moskowitz, formerly of Forest Hills, remembers teaching her fifth graders about the UN. “That Tuesday, I taught them about the first bombing at the World Trade Center, The Hague, and how they would deal with world crimes. The timing was unreal!” she said. In the years that follow, a couple of students from that year reach out on 9/11. Now she presents a slideshow to her 4^th and 5^th graders about the tragic day.

Moskowitz reminisced, “Kids were being picked up from school and teachers waited until 3 PM. There was no public transportation, so we walked home from East Harlem. We had the next day off, and our trip to the UN was scheduled for the following day, but the mayor canceled all field trips, so we picnicked in our classroom. We had the opportunity to visit the UN that spring. We had a teacher who was married to a firefighter, who was killed that day. She never returned to school.”

Dr. Arthur Gudeon is a Rego Park-based longtime podiatrist, who was born in February 1935. Additionally, he is a humanitarian and a hero. For a period of eight months post-9/11, he organized a voluntary podiatry station along with other medical and non-medical volunteers at St. Paul’s Chapel at Ground Zero, where he treated responders’ foot and ankle injuries among conditions. In turn, his leadership was recognized in three exhibits at the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Visitors would encounter the historical timeline area, which was partially dedicated to recovery and response efforts at St. Paul’s Chapel. It featured a plaque and photo of Gudeon treating a responder, as well as an interactive phone pedestal with six brief volunteer and responder interviews. In a display case was his ID badge, embellished with a drawing of his practice’s “happy foot” logo. “Many of us still meet for reunions and lunches every 9/11, and at various events,” he said.

Westport, Connecticut resident Marina Berman and her husband once lived in Battery Park City, where they planned to raise their children, but 9/11 modified their plans. On 9/11, she was six months pregnant with their daughter, Alexandra, and resided at 395 South End Avenue on the 26th floor. They were preparing for work, when she heard a noise that haunted her for a long time, and her husband screamed out. He was living in the same apartment for the 12 years prior, so he experienced the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. “I was in shock. The first plane just hit the North Tower and was lodged inside,” said Berman.

When the second plane hit the South Tower, their residence shook intensely. She recalled, “It was suddenly dark outside. We couldn’t see what was happening, and my husband told me to run down all 26 floors. I panicked and ran barefoot and pregnant. In my haste to get out, I forgot my bag with my wallet, shoes, and water. I mostly encountered on my way down, moms and nannies with young children. Men were few and far between. I recall a little girl shrieking and so much confusion. Someone offered me a bottle of water, as they saw I was pregnant. Once I got down to the lobby, I was worried that my husband wasn’t with me. I thought, ‘What if something happened to him? How will I be able to bring up this baby into the world alone?’ They asked us to move to basement as there were unpleasant fumes coming into the lobby, and I recited the Jewish prayer, ‘Sh’ma.’”

Berman’s daughter, who will turn 23 in December, was in utero, and she felt hopeless. “A nanny taking care of a little girl asked if I thought they were all going to die. I told her not to worry as the building was built like cement and nothing bad will happen. Did I believe that? Not really, but somehow needed to be a calming force to others. Finally, my husband appeared and brought my shoes and sweatpants. Once again fumes filled the air. My husband, a physician, wet a t-shirt and had residents breathe into it, to help with the stench. I don’t recall how long we all sat in the lobby and in the basement until the firefighters arrived to take us away. The building was designated a crime scene, and nobody was let in for days, unless they had pets to retrieve. The firemen took 25 people at a time. My husband immediately told them that I was six months pregnant, so we were part of the first group of 25, who would run to the police boat that would take us across the river to a New Jersey day tech building where the triage was set up. It was surreal, as we were covered in soot and running over debris. When in New Jersey, my husband realized that we needed to get a hotel room.”

The next day, they were warned by firemen upon exiting their Battery Park residence that access to their home would be off limits for an indefinite period. Since she owned an Upper West Side studio, they had a place to escape to.

Rego Park resident Irene Schaub compiled a folder of newspaper clippings in response to 9/11. She feels fortunate to not have lost friends, family, or acquaintances in the immediate event, and she recalls a nearby couple that left their apartment for several weeks to stay with friends. “As years progressed, I met a number of ‘almosts,’ as in people who had not yet arrived in the World Trade Center area, although it was on their schedules that day, and people retired not long before from work at the World Trade Center.”

Schaub tuned into news and documentaries for the year that followed, and remembers lots of crying. As for today, she explained, “I always follow multimedia on the anniversary, and even though it’s painful, I feel my pain is nothing compared to those who suffered directly, and I want to keep honoring them. I hope they continue to display the twin memorial lights from ground zero annually, since they are a powerful and poignant reminder.”

“Think about being a sophomore in high school, and being young enough to be innocent and old enough to understand it, said Florida resident, Natalya Dymova, who recently relocated from Forest Hills. Her uncle used to work IT in Tower One, and miraculously survived. “He was sent to fix a computer in a different building that morning, and just happened to not be there. To this day, he carries his ID with him.” Her mother’s older sister, Vera Utkina, worked for Uniscribe on Water Street and Maiden Lane. “She saw it happen, and had to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge to get to a working phone to reach her husband to pick her up. She passed away from cancer last year, which may have been related,” she continued.

Leigh Harrison of Forest Hills was visiting a friend on 16th Street, when she heard the monstrous explosion from the 1st plane striking the tower. In turn, she would compose a song titled “Grey Roses.” The title was inspired by a radio commentator who described the initial explosions of smoke and fire that bellowed out of the Twin Towers as “horrible gray blooms.” “My song is meant to honor the first responders; firemen, police, and EMS workers, whom I call ‘our royalty uncrowned’ in the song, and to also acknowledge the many lives lost and the plight of survivors,” she said. The public can tune in at www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kaBZ3nljzg

Rego Park resident Joe Vega remembers the victims of 9/11 with deep sorrow and profound respect. “On that tragic day, lives were cut short in an instant, leaving behind families, friends, and a nation that still feels their absence. Each person’s loss was a story, a heart, and a light that shone brightly, only to be extinguished too soon. In the chaos and destruction, there were moments of immense courage, as many tried to help and protect others, displaying the best of humanity in the face of unthinkable horror. Though the towers fell, the spirits of those who perished remain with us, etched into our collective memory. Their lives, their bravery, and their love continue to inspire unity and hope, even in the face of such overwhelming loss. We honor them not only in remembrance, but in the way we strive to move forward, cherishing peace, resilience, and the value of every human life.”

Shortly after 9/11, Vega wrote a poem, “I Told You to Take the Stairs,” which was published in the “Literary Mary” poetry book in 2009:

That morning after leaving the subway,

After seeing the plume

Reach the top of the sky.

 

Down to the street

Run to the east

I told you.

 

The sound of planes made a sea of people

Duck their heads in a sickening wave-

I saw this.

 

And the silence while crossing the bridge

Was the worst silence

I’ve ever heard.