YARDLEY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Friday marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Thousands of lives were lost, including many residents from greater Philadelphia.
Hundreds gathered for the annual remembrance ceremony at the Garden of Reflection in Lower Makefield Township, Pennsylvania’s official memorial for the victims of the terrorist attacks.
Speaker after speaker touched on the importance of never forgetting the events of that day and the people who lost their lives.
Then, the names of the 18 Bucks County victims were read aloud. Nine of them were from Lower Makefield, like Joshua Reiss, a bond trader for Cantor Fitzgerald who worked on the 105th floor of the North Tower. His life was cut short at 23.
“He’s missed so much,” said his mother, Judi. She said he was the glue of their family. “I want them to remember Josh — the kid that had the biggest smile, who made friends everywhere he went, who loved his life and loved his family.”
Judi Reiss, who is on the Lower Makefield Township Board of Supervisors, used to be a social studies teacher. She said it is so important for those who were too young or not born when 9/11 happened to know the history and recognize that those who died aren’t just names written in a book or etched in glass at this memorial.
“These were real people,” she said. “These were people that really just went to work that morning and never came home.”
Bensalem School Board member Rodger Allen was born in 2002. On this solemn day, he thinks about those in uniform who risked it all for others.
“There were so many heroes. They still ran toward danger to try to save lives. That’s what inspired me the most,” he said.
The Garden of Reflection was established as a place of peace, a quiet space where people can remember all the victims. Twin fountains light up in the middle of the park, surrounded by panels with the names of victims etched in glass. The motto of the space: “After darkness… Light.”
