The gray, early morning drizzle may as well have been brilliant sunshine Sept. 11 as more than 400 students were bursting with energy and enthusiasm outdoors at the campus of Holy Cross parish and elementary school.
Law enforcement people riding bicycles across the state of Delaware streamed through the parish property on State Street as kids lined up in the school yard, waving flags, banners and signs to recognize those in public service, paying respects on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
None of the youngsters were alive in 2001 when terrorist hijackers weaponized commercial airliners, plunging two into the World Trade Center twin towers in New York, another into the Pentagon building in Washington and one other that was hijacked before terrorists encountered a band of passengers who tried to reclaim control of the plane before crashing in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed that day.
“Law enforcement and first responders thank you ride” – an event held in Delaware each year – attracted about 200 bike riders who ride to pay tribute to those who work to put the well-being of others before themselves.
Photo gallery below
After the ride-through, Principal Mallory O’Mara-Tunell led students, faculty and staff into church for a prayer service that included the school choir and remarks by Father John Enemuo, parochial vicar at the parish.
The gathering included Kassi Dunphy of Newark, sister of slain Delaware State Police Cpl. Ty Snook, a Saint Mark’s High School graduate, who was killed in the line of duty Dec. 23. Dunphy was there to cheer on the bikers riding in honor of her brother.
“To see Holy Cross honor my brother like this, it means a lot,” she said as the large group awaited the arrival of the bike caravan. “We’ve been to a lot of events that have been very hard. This event is bittersweet to see the kids having a good time honoring my brother … is probably the happiest event so far. It means a lot.
“I feel like it’s still very new to me. It’s not much easier any day, it’s kind of harder each day.”
Father Enemuo reminded people to remember the importance of love.
“Where there is love, there is God,” he said. “And we pray that brings to rest the souls of those who lost their lives.”
A group of school choir members agreed that it’s difficult to understand the impact of Sept. 11, 2001, in the same way as those who lived through it and remember first-hand.
Isla Garrison, a seventh-grader at Holy Cross, said she didn’t know a lot about 9/11 before the event at school.
“I knew obviously of the twin towers crash and a bunch of brave people went in and did all they can to help,” she said.
Jordyn Matticks is an eighth-grader who also knew about the towers.
“I knew it was a very emotional day for a lot of people and that the towers fell,” she said. She paid especially close attention to the bike riders visiting her school since her mom, a first responder, was among them.
Sophia Clark, another eighth-grader, said she has done research on it.
“I learned it was a very emotional day. More than 2,000 people died. It happened in more than one state.”
Her classmate, Shane Moss, said he knew 9/11 was a “a very tragic day. People were just in a state of terror. I felt very grateful to honor the officers and the fallen people and those who do God’s work. I think it definitely was a great way of honoring the fallen officers and the 9/11 survivors and people who died.”
At the end of the service, Dunphy was presented with a floral bouquet in memory of her brother.
