Monmouth County Commissioners Director Tom Arnone highlighted the importance of education and remembrance at today’s annual memorial service for all those killed on 9/11 25 years ago, noting that all those who were alive at that time can never forget the horrors of the day.
He shed a more positive observation after that, noting that camaraderie, friendship, help and unity came about among all Americans after the tragedy, all positive effects of the worse disaster to ever hit the nation. Still, he continued, “if we do not continue to educate all to what happened in Manhattan when the Twin Towers were destroyed by a hateful enemy, we will not honor those who gave their lives both then and later.”
To be certain all remember the importance of education, the Monmouth County Board of Commissioners, who plan and conduct the ceremony at Mount Mitchill every year, had Jessica Cappadona as guest speaker at the 8 a.m. ceremony.
Cappadona is not only a history teacher at MAST, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology, but also recalls herself as a teenager at Mater Dei High School when the planes hit the Twin Towers.
Standing before the crowd gathered for the Monmouth County annual memorial at Mount Mitchill, Cappadona continued. “Immediately after the first tower was struck, despite not yet knowing the full severity of the day, my teachers recognized the importance of keeping us, the students, informed.” “The lesson for the day was abandoned and the televisions were on,” she said. “My teachers, classmates and I watched horror as the second tower was hit; we stood together in stunned silence as the towers collapsed, wondering if our loved ones were okay.”
Then, with faculty at Mater Dei aware of many students who had family members who worked in Manhattan, Cappadonna recalled, “when my principal announced for anyone with family working in the World Trade Center to report to guidance, myself and half the school were standing outside the offices.” For Cappadonna, it was an uncle who worked in the South tower.
“That evening, my family went back and forth to the ferry terminal hoping to see my uncle’s face within the droves of studded dust covered survivors. We did not, we had feared the worst.”
Cappadonna’s own story had a happy ending. “Hours later we received a call, my uncle, was alive and back at his home in Perth Amboy.” She explained she tells her story in history class because, as Commissioner Arnone had said, “not only is a way for them to understand the day, but to see how historical events can impact you, even if you are just a kid.”
“Now, a quarter of a century later, ”she continued, “it isn’t a memory. It’s history. And like all history, it risks being misunderstood or overlooked, unless we make a deliberate effort to teach it with care and accuracy. Students are empathetic and curious, but 9/11 can feel distant when confined to a textbook or slide deck, “ she said.
“The magnitude of the day, the thousands of lives lost, the civic and global consequences … it’s a lot to process,” the teacher told the quiet crowd.
Cappadonna went on to explain that because of her own experience, every year she brings her history class from MAST to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in Manhattan and knows each visit leaves a lasting impact on every student. “For my students, the history is personal and has deep roots in Monmouth County. My students leave the Museum with a stronger sense of civic responsibility, a deeper understanding of community, and an understanding of why we honor whose we lost on that day, and continue to lose as a result of that day.”
“Those of who remember 9/11 will always carry that day heavy in our hearts, “ she concluded. We understand way we say never forget … but now, 25 years later, we must ensure we are educating the future generations so that they understand why they must never forget, and help to carry our past forward.”
It was Mast cadets who encircled the freeholders, Congressman Chris Smith, Assembly members and the crowd while the commissioners dedicated a Memory Tree for the quarter century observation, a growing piece of nature on Mount Mitchill to remind everyone to remember, educate, and never forget.
Seated in the crowd, among the many who had personal reasons for attending the annual ceremony, was the grandfather of one of the MAST cadets who participated in the ceremony. His daughter was among those who escaped death or serious injury 9/11 when she was employed at the World Trade Center. His pride in her taking part in a ceremony honoring those killed that day helped him erase, at least for a time, some of his fears that day 25 years go.
The MAST cadets were accompanied by their chief instructor Capt. Ross Geske USMC (ret) and Senior Chief Michael Vaccarella, USN (ret) for the event.
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