By Steffen Klenk
Last Saturday, on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, our nation paused to reflect on the incidents that occurred in New York City, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Throughout the country, ceremonies were held as many remembered the precious lives that were lost on September 11, 2001. In Ocean City, hundreds of residents joined firefighters, first responders, city and county executives, and state representatives in a remembrance ceremony, held outside at the Fire Department on 6th and Asbury.
Among the guest speakers at Saturday’s ceremony included Billio Olaschinez, a South Jersey resident and former first responder, who presented an American flag. In the hours following the attacks, Olaschinez traveled to Ground Zero. “It was controlled chaos. Nobody knew what to do.”
Olaschinez took initiative and used a Bobcat to assist in the recovery efforts by moving debris in hopes of searching for survivors. While operating the machine, something red caught his eye. “At first, I thought it was a body.” He got out and brushed off what he had seen, an American flag. “The flag was torn. The flag was tattered.” Upon finishing his assignment at Ground Zero, Olaschinez brought the flag home and placed it on his table, a symbolic reminder of the events that had occurred that day. “We were torn, we were tattered, we were buried, but here we are. Here we are today, because we are Americans.”
Mayor Jay Gillian was on hand for last week’s service. Gillian spoke about the importance of education, to ensure that future generations remember the events that occurred twenty years ago. “The graduates of OCHS this year were not alive when 9/11 happened; they did not live through it. That’s why education is so important.”
Mayor Gillian also recalled the daily flag raising ceremonies, a tradition that began 20 years ago in front of the water park at Moorlyn Place. The ceremony was relocated to the Music Pier this summer. A new flag pole was unveiled in memory of Ocean City veterans Joe Caserta, Bill Cruice, and James Robinson. “Traditions like the flag raising will help future generations learn about the sacrifices so many have made to keep our nation free and strong.”
Members of American Legion Post 524 and Boy Scout Troop 32 also took part in the day’s ceremony, along with Ocean City Fire Chief James Smith, who offered his remarks. The National Anthem was sung by Morgan Murphy. The ceremony concluded with a touching rendition of God Bless America, performed by Natalie Ragazzo. Mayor Gillian concluded his speech with a quote from Ben Franklin, “There was never a good war or a bad peace.”
Steffen Klenk is a multimedia journalist. He resides in Ocean City and enjoys capturing the eclectic moments of shore life.
