[PHOTOS]Westchester County Ceremony Honors Memories of Residents Killed in 9/11

Some of the people who attended Westchester County's Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla Wednesday night were directly affected by the terrorist attacks that rocked this nation 12 years ago.

Other people simply knew someone who was directly affected or were lucky enough to escape that day without losing anyone. Regardless of the circumstances, the crowd stood unified to  recognize the 123 lives from Westchester County that were lost that day.

"Tonight, we're here in Westchester and we're remembering those 123," George Pataki, the former governor of New York and mayor of Peekskill, said. "We're honoring their memory. "We're paying tribute to their courage and to their sacrifice."

During the ceremony, county officials dedicated a beam from Ground Zero The Rising, the county's 9/11 memorial which is located on the grounds of the Kensico Dam Plaza. 

County Executive Robert Astorino said the steel used to make the beam is similar to the enduring spirit American have shows during the 12 years following the Sept. 11 attacks.

"Steel, of course, is made primarily of iron—one of the strongest and most stable elements in nature," Astorino said. "What’s particularly compelling is that carbon—the fundamental building block of all life---is added to steel to make it stronger. The more carbon that’s melded into steel, the stronger it becomes. Likewise, the lives sacrificed on September 11th and the American blood that has been shed in the effort to rid the world of global terrorism, have in the same way made our nation stronger and more resilient than ever. Indeed, the American spirit is never stronger than when we reflect upon what may be our darkest day.”

The names of the local residents who lost their lives during 9/11 by their family members and county officials.

The ceremony concluded with a benediction by Arthur Rojas of St. Joseph's Church in Yonkers and rendition of God Bless America by Melinda Ademi, a Westchester County resident and former finalist on the television show American Idol.

A full copy of Astorino's speech can be found below:

It’s been more than a decade now since a day of unspeakable violence and unprecedented consequence altered the course of American history, and forever changed the lives of thousands of people who knew, loved, and were loved by the victims of the nine-eleven terror attacks.

Twelve years have passed, and each of us has moved on as humans do… But our humanity also demands that we look back and remember a day when so many of our sons and daughters, wives and husbands, friends and neighbors were taken from us.

On September 11th, 2001, all of America was attacked: our home, our people, our ideals---the very essence of who we are and what we stand for as a nation.

2,996 people were killed on nine-eleven. 123 of them called Westchester home. Buildings were destroyed. Our confidence and security were shaken. But America itself was not, nor will it ever be, a casualty to the fear and hatred that feed the evil of terrorism.

 And so in the spirit of resilience and of course remembrance, we gather today to remember and honor the lives of Westchester’s own who are so gracefully memorialized by The Rising, which behind me reaches symbolically toward the heavens.

 This year, we add to this magnificent memorial a steel beam pulled from the ashes of the World Trade Center. I would like to read the inscription from a plaque that will commemorate it. 

“This beam, whose custody was entrusted to Governor George E. Pataki, endures as a lasting reminder of our nation’s sacrifice, courage and strength on that fateful day. With pride and humility, the people of Westchester County welcome the beam to its permanent home at The Rising.”

In many ways, I cannot conceive a more fitting metaphor for the enduring American spirit that lives on vibrantly, twelve years after the worst attack in our country’s history.

Steel, of course, is made primarily of iron—one of the strongest and most stable elements in nature. What’s particularly compelling is that carbon—the fundamental building block of all life---is added to steel to make it stronger. The more carbon that’s melded into steel, the stronger it becomes. 

Likewise, the lives sacrificed on September 11th and the American blood that has been shed in the effort to rid the world of global terrorism, have in the same way made our nation stronger and more resilient than ever. Indeed, the American spirit is never stronger than when we reflect upon what may be our darkest day. 

But with the passage of time, we know that all darkness eventually turns to light. That fateful day produced untold acts of valor and heroism, and left behind a legacy of Americans helping one another in our greatest hour of need—and beyond. 

Hundreds of first responders who rushed toward a catastrophic inferno and never returned inspired a generation of young people to become police officers, firefighters, or serve America in our armed forces. Children who lost a mother or father are now carrying on their parent’s legacies, many dedicating their professional lives to helping others. And each year, millions pay tribute to the victims of nine-eleven by participating in a week of volunteerism in communities across America, including here in Westchester.

We should, each of us, heed the sacred charge bestowed by the events and the victims of nine-eleven. Defend America and that which America stands for. Love and help one another. Serve our communities and make them better. And never forget those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom.

...That is the true monument to those we lost.

Each time I visit The Rising, I am touched by the loss that so many have suffered. And today we join with the families in reverent tribute to those who were taken from us. 

But I am also inspired and hopeful when I gaze upward, knowing that, while those who were lost will never be forgotten… life itself endures…. love endures… freedom endures. 

And when we understand that, we are enlightened to a beautiful proverb… Profound loss reveals that physical life is all too fleeting, but the spirit of life is everlasting, and forms the ties that bind each to all.

With great humility and in solemn solidarity with those whom we honor today, let us together pray that God may continue to bless America.