Ray Nagy will never forget the bright blue sky over Lawrence Township and much of the Northeast on Sept. 11, 2001 – the day of the terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
Nagy also will never forget the stark contrast of fire, smoke and ash that billowed up against that same blue sky in New York City – nor the surreal and unspeakable images that still haunt him.
“(That is) something I will never forget,” said Nagy, who was the keynote speaker at Lawrence Township’s annual 9/11 memorial service. It was held at the township’s 9/11 Memorial Park on Pilla Avenue.
Nagy is a lifelong Lawrence Township resident, volunteer firefighter and former fire chief with the Lawrenceville Fire Co. He is the deputy chief of operations for the Lawrence Township Fire Department.
While the phrase “Never Forget” is a moniker and a term that has been prominently displayed everywhere and is synonymous with 9/11 memorials, its meaning has grown to mean much more over the years, he said.
“Personally, as these 23 years have passed, much has changed in life – including my definition of ‘never forget.’ That phrase has taken on a somewhat different meaning for me,” Nagy said.
The memory of the 9/11 terror attacks endures – including the 343 Fire Department of New York firefighters and 20 New York Police Department police officers – will never be forgotten, he said.
“(But) I have also chosen to never forget the resolve, patriotism, heroism and incredible selflessness exhibited by first responders on that day and beyond,” he said.
Those first responders included a college friend whose first day on the job as a New York City firefighter coincided with the terror attacks, Nagy said. His friend was stationed at a firehouse that was basically at the foot of the World Trade Center.
Many of his friend’s new colleagues responded to the call and lost their lives, Nagy said. His friend jumped into action, just like any first responder would have done. He survived.
Nagy said he has chosen to never forget that in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, first responders rise to the challenge to assist those in need.
“It is what we do, all the while knowing that there is always the possibility of not coming back.”
Despite all that seems to be going wrong in the world, there is still good and there is still hope – through the actions of the first responders day in and day out. It is something that he will never forget, Nagy said.
“I also draw evergreen hope and inspiration that as the years pass, we ‘never forget’ that even in the midst of the hardest times and most terrible of tragedies, the determination, dedication and courageousness of the first responder will always rise above,” he said.
“God bless Lawrence Township and God bless America,” Nagy said.
After Nagy’s speech, Bagpiper Douglas Connors played “Amazing Grace.”
First responders then placed four wreaths on stands at the entrance to the Lawrence Township 9/11 Memorial Park – one for each of the sites where the terrorists crashed the four jets.
