A crowd gathered around the Darwin R. Wales Center on the SUNY Broome campus Sept. 11 to honor those who served and lost their lives during the terror attacks that happened 24 years prior.
SUNY Broome President Tony Hawkins reflected on being in Manhattan on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, before traveling to his office at Hudson County Community College in Jersey City.
He watched the second of the Twin Towers fall from his third-floor office, and while he didn’t know then the severity of what was happening, he had faith in knowing “there were people in downtown Manhattan that were taking care of all of those that were injured.”
“We lost 2,977 lives on that day and, since then, more than twice as many have died from cancer from being exposed to toxic contaminants in the aftermath of the attacks on Manhattan,” Hawkins said. “Today we will honor and remember everyone.”
Broome County Executive Jason Garnar said 9/11 is “not just a moment in history” for Broome County residents, “it’s personal.”
“Many of our friends and family were in New York City that day,” he said. “Some never came home. Others served in the days and years that followed, from digging through the rubble to deploying overseas to keep our country safe.”
Retired Broome County EMS Coordinator Raymond Serowik, his wife Kathleen Serowik, and former Whitney Point EMS Captain Nicole Hoppes were deployed to Ground Zero 10 days after the attacks.
They were among 56 EMS workers deployed to New York City, where they helped get rescue workers and survivors necessary medical treatment and transported injured people to local hospitals. The trio spent around 16 hours at the scene.
Reading an excerpt from her memoir, Kathleen Serowik recalled, “the whole area had the smell of burnt plastic, paper and wood, and sadly also the smell of death.” The ground, she said, was flooded with paper.
“There were literally, maybe millions of pieces of people’s lives all over the ground, work papers, family photos,” she said. “This was only 10 days after the explosion, so it was very real to see the lives of the people that were touched.”
From the second she heard what had happened, Hoppes, who is a SUNY Broome instructor, knew she had to go.
“This is our calling,” she said.
“You could smell the jet fuel. You could see the pieces of carnage, the wrecked ambulances, the fire trucks, the buildings, the sites, the sounds and the smell,” Hoppes said. “Twenty-four years ago and it’s still etched in my mind. It’ll be there forever.”
Raymond Serowik, also a SUNY Broome instructor, called the experience “profound.” The Serowiks’ time was spent caring for the rescuers, he said, but in a different way than they anticipated.
“We never really laid hands on anybody for physical illness or injury, but we were approached over and over and over again by those who had been working on the site since the day of the attack, because apparently they perceived us as being safe, people to talk to,” he said. “These people opened up to us in ways that were profound and probably made the deepest impression on us from our time there.”
He further emphasized the importance in carrying these stories going forward, as well as ensuring “the words that we uttered at the time, ‘never forget,’ are fulfilled.”
Garnar said the Broome County community also came together to provide support and supplies in the aftermath of the attacks, from donating blood to supporting rescue efforts and donating funds to victims’ families.
Remembering her time spent at the scene and the efforts of others who gave support at the time, Hoppes said, “We need to go back to being the Americans of Sept. 12, 2001.”
Prior to the ceremony, Hawkins called for a moment of silence in response to the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed Sept. 10 while speaking at a Utah Valley University event.
“We as faculty, administrators and students really feel the impact when violence occurs on a campus,” Hawkins said. “We are grieving and mourning with our colleagues and friends at the Utah Valley University community.”
To mark the moment, the Edward P. Memorial Pipe Band played “Amazing Grace.”
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Volunteers recall Ground Zero deployment at SUNY Broome 9/11 ceremony
Reporting by Sunshyne Lynch, Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin / Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
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