Farmingville, NY – On Sunday, September 11, Supervisor Mark Lesko (pictured) was a guest speaker at the Bellport Village 9-11 Memorial ceremony held at the Bellport Marina. Residents from the Bellport area were joined by members of the Bellport and Hagerman fire departments, South Country Ambulance Company and elected officials to dedicate the memorial, which consisted of a piece of steel girder from the World Trade Center.

“I applaud Bellport Village for honoring the heroes that lost their lives on September 11, 2001,” said Supervisor Lesko, “We will always keep the innocent victims in our hearts. We are also thankful for the service men and women overseas protecting our freedom every day. This beautiful memorial in Bellport Village will be a fitting tribute to the people who lost their lives on 9-11 and it will be a place of solace where the memories will live on for generations to come.”

Councilwoman Connie Kepert said, "September 11th is not one story but thousands of stories. Stories of love ones lost and lives cut short. September 11th demonstrated the worst in human nature: the capacity for hateful ideologies to lead to extreme acts of violence and inhumanity. The attack on the Twin Towers was an act of terrorism, and terrorism is meant to inspire fear. Yet hate and fear are not the lessons of September 11th. For 9/11 also revealed the best in people. Amazing feats of heroism occurred on 9/11 and the days and weeks that followed. The police officers and fire fighters, and emergency responders who ran into buildings filled with blinding ash and smoke, and those who bravely worked the site looking for survivors. In the immediate aftermath of the September 11th attacks people from all over the world joined together to help in acts of spontaneous generosity that transcended differences of nationality, race, and religion. The world became one community. The true lesson of September 11th is that we must never give into hate and fear. Instead we must live our lives according to the values we cherish as Americans, and recognize humanities enormous capacity to love, and care for one another. I thank the Village of Bellport for creating a quiet peaceful place for people to reflect and remember."

Division of Public Information * Office of the Supervisor
One Independence Hill • Farmingville • NY 11738 • Phone (631) 451-6595 • Fax (631) 451-6258