Area Residents Hold 9/11 Memorials

Washington Township, Hillsdale and Westwood all held services on the anniversary of 9/11 Tuesday.

Area residents gathered Tuesday to remember the victims and heroes of 9/11 on the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Washington Township residents held a service in front of the Municipal Complex Tuesday morning, and local fire departments also marked the times when the events of September 11, 2001 unfolded. Tuesday evening, Hillsdale residents gathered in Veteran's Park for a flag and candle ceremony. Westwood residents also gathered in Veterans' Memorial Park for a memorial service. Did you attend any of the 9/11 services Tuesday? Share your photos above. Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Jim Leggate at Jim.Leggate@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (10)

Glenn A. Scheyhing

6:37 am on Sunday, September 16, 2012

I was there and my photo is posted here, too (last one in the "cue"). Yes, it was a great time of music and sharing. We love our new hometown.   more ›

Question of the Week

How Did You Observe 9/11?

On the 10th anniversary, Patch wants to know what you did

Sunday marked 10 years since the terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of thousands of Americans and destroyed the twin towers. Patch wants to know what you did to observe the anniversary. Did you attend a local ceremony? Did you watch coverage on TV? Did you spend time with family? Or do something else entirely? Your Patch editor attended 9/11 ceremonies in both Washington Township and Westwood. Both were very moving. Now it's your turn to let the community know what you did. Add a comment or take our poll below.

• Photos (3)

Attend a 9/11 Ceremony Sunday

Both Westwood and Washington Township have memorial events scheduled

Area residents are encouraged to attend 9/11 ceremonies in both Westwood and Washington Township Sunday to mark the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. The Washington Township memorial ceremony will take place Sunday morning. Residents are asked to gather at 8:30 a.m. in the Jack Woods Senior center of the municipal complex before the event, which will begin at 8:36 a.m. in Veterans Square in the front of the municipal complex. In Westwood, there will be a concert of remembrance in Veterans' Memorial Park from 5 to 7 p.m. John Hartman and his band will perform at the gazebo in the park. At 7:30 p.m., former Westwood Mayor Skip Kelley will lead a ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial in Veterans' Park, just south of the train station, as he …

• Photos (4)

Remembering 9/11: A Survival Story

The Constantine family of Westwood was separated for hours 10 years ago, but all were reunited at the end of the day

Americans have seen images of the 9/11 terrorist attacks but few experienced the horror of that day the way the Constantine family of Westwood did. All four family members were near the World Trade Center site when the towers fell, but were separated from each other for hours before a reunion at the end of the day. Parents Tom and Barbara both worked in Manhattan and their two children, Alexa and T.J., went to the Trinity Church Parish Preschool next to the World Trade Center complex. That fateful morning was 6-month-old T.J.'s second day. The morning started like any other with T.J. and Alexa, 4 at the time, getting dropped off. Tom said Alexa wanted to get Krispy Kreme donuts from inside the twin towers, but he didn't have time since it …

• Photos (1)

The Changing Face of Rail, Bus Security

NJ Transit has had to take a new to approach to commuter safety since 9/11

It was time for a change. After terrorists hijacked four passenger planes and slammed two into the World Trade Center buildings, one into the Pentagon, and another into a field in Pennsylvania, the way professionals approach security for mass transportation needed an overhaul. For NJ Transit, which operates 2,027 buses, 771 trains and 45 light rail vehicles over a service area of 5,325 square miles that meant a change in mindset. “In the past we only focused on crime and great service to customers, but now, here at NJ Transit, what we try to drive home to all our officers is that their main response is counterterrorism,” said Christopher Trucillo, chief of the NJ Transit Police Department.  “I think the dynamic now is that pre-9/11, if an …

• Photos (1)

Remembering 9/11: Family and Friends Share a Life Ended Too Soon

Daphne Pouletsos was a fun-loving woman who opened her home and her heart to others

Daphne Pouletsos of Westwood was extremely close to her family and had a warm personality that allowed her to form meaningful relationships with people quickly. Her life was tragically cut short Sept. 11, 2001 as she worked at the World Trade Center for Aon Corp. Sister Corinne Krachtus, who lives in Westwood, called Daphne "the glue that held everybody together," making sure all sides of the large family were involved in each other's lives. Corinne said Daphne would make an effort to visit her nieces in Virginia as well as host sleepovers with her cousins' children so they would all get to know each other. Daphne also hosted Christmas for her family. She helped Corinne and her family at Conrad's Candy in downtown Westwood whenever she …

• Photos (6)

What Should We Tell Students About 9/11?

A new curriculum guide written by volunteer educators and people affected by Sept. 11 aims to teach students about terrorism, bullying, war, and hatred in a constructive and sensitive way

"A Letter to Caitlyn" "You asked your mom why everyone is so sad around your birthday and you wonder why you never got to meet your Uncle Johnnie. I hope I can help you understand. "Before you were born, there were two really big buildings in New York City called the Twin Towers. Your Uncle Johnnie worked on the 104th floor of the building, almost at the very top! He worked with bankers and had lots of friends who worked with him. "A week before you were born, a group of men who did not like our country, did a very bad thing. They hijacked airplanes, which means they forced the pilots to let them fly the planes. Instead of landing the planes, they flew the planes into the Twin Towers in New York City, a building called the Pentagon in …

• Photos (1)
• Documents (1)

Question of the Week

Where Were You On 9/11?

Patch asks its readers where they were 10 years ago when the terrorist attacks occurred

As the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks less than a week away, many are reflecting on that day a decade ago. It's one of the historic dates that those old enough remember where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news. Your Patch editor was a college freshman in Pennsylvania, sitting in a sociology class when the planes hit the Twin Towers. I didn't find out until later, when I returned to my dorm room and got an instant message from my mom telling me to turn on the TV (I didn't have a cell phone at the time). I knew it was something bad when her response to my question about what channel to turn to was, "It doesn't matter." I later learned one of my roommates' uncles died that day and we all attended a candlelight …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Tenth Anniversary: New Jersey Remembers 9/11

Share your memories, photos and upcoming memorial events at www.facebook.com/NJRemembersSept11

It was a decade ago on a bright September morning that the world watched in horror as four hijacked jetliners slammed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in rural Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, the deadliest terrorist attack ever to occur on U.S. soil.  Among the dead were close to 700 New Jerseyans — traders, police officers, financial analysts, firefighters, security guards, accountants and lawyers. Mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters.  Across the river from lower Manhattan, where the air was thick with smoke and debris, New Jersey towns served as a staging ground for thousands of survivors. We mourned for the dead and comforted those who survived. Life, while …

• Photos (3)