Photos: Honoring Those Who Fell on 9:11
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
An empty chair with firefighters’ gear atop sits in front of Altamont’s fire trucks before Friday’s ceremony. Altamont’s firehouse siren blasted at 8:46 a.m., marking the time Flight 11, hijacked by terrorists, crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
A line of first responders salute in front of Altamont firehouse on Friday morning. Volunteers with the Guilderland, Altamont, Fort Hunter, Guilderland Center, and Westmere Fire departments along with Guilderland Emergency Medical Services and Altamont Rescue Squad members joined in the salute.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Bearing witness: A family watches in Altamont as first responders salute and a siren blasts to commemorate events on Sept. 11, 2001. Congressman Paul Tonko on Friday issued a statement about reports that the Trump administration “has been siphoning millions of dollars in Congressionally appropriated taxpayer money intended to go to 9/11 survivors and their families,” which he called “a staggering betrayal of every firefighter, police officer, and first responder who risked their lives for us that day.”
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
A woman wipes away a tear as an Altamont firehouse siren blasts at 8:46 a.m. to mark when the first plane struck the Twin Towers 19 years ago.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
In remembrance: Two firefighters cross their hands while Reverend Matthew van Maastricht of the Altamont Reformed Church leads a prayer service after Friday’s solemn 9/11 ceremony. “We often think of a concept of love and peace as something passive …,” said the pastor. “But peace is not just the absence of violence. It is the presence of wholeness, of justice, of love.” He also led a prayer “for all who live in fear and uncertainty … For those on the front of the struggle against hate, we pray for protection … For our country, that You would help us be better than we have been and better than we are.”