Maine marks day with solemn ceremonies

By ANN S. KIM, Staff Writer

Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

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	Staff photo by Gordon Chibroski Rich and Eileen Soucie listen to the names of fallen firefighters being read at the Portland Fire Museum. She lost a cousin and a friend, who were firefighters.
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	COMPLETE COVERAGE READ ABOUT how Maine has been affected by the events of Sept. 11, 2001. To top of story

WESTBROOK - It was on a similar cloudless day five years ago that Bruce Chuluda watched images of the planes hitting the twin towers and saw public safety workers and civilians put themselves in harm's way to help others.

"On that day, I understood what these men and women were all about," said Chuluda, now mayor of Westbrook. "Our presence here today means we have not forgotten and never will."

Chuluda spoke to more than 100 people gathered to see the Maine Public Safety Pipe and Drum Corps lead a parade of public safety personnel, military representatives, city officials and other dignitaries into Riverbank Park on Monday. It was one of many events marking the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"This is our way of showing our respect for the people who protect us all the time," said Susan Snow, who attended the tribute with her mother, Sylvia Jensen.

Fire Chief Gary Littlefield recalled how the horrific images of the attacks were like those out of science fiction or a nightmare. But the losses, he said, were all too real: 343 firefighters, 67 police officers and thousands of civilians killed.

Police Chief Paul McCarthy said it was a time to remember the sacrifice of those who died, but also a time to honor those who work in public safety in communities around the nation.

"They risk their lives every day to make sure we are safe from threats, both foreign and domestic," he said.

All around Maine, people observed the anniversary at memorial services, took time to thank first responders or paused for personal reflection and prayer. Many flags flew at half-staff in memory of those who were lost.

In Augusta, Gov. John Baldacci led a ceremony on the steps of Maine's State House. About 100 people gathered along with legislators and uniformed Maine National Guard, state police and firefighting units.

"Our message to those here and abroad should be that we can overcome all obstacles when we are united as a nation," Baldacci said.

Afterward, participants filed into the State House to view a memorial made with a section of a girder recovered from the World Trade Center.

At noon in Portland, about a dozen people gathered in front of the Portland Fire Museum as Fire Department Capt. Dan Dyer read some of the names of the 343 firefighters who perished at the World Trade Center. The ceremony was to be repeated every hour on the hour between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The museum also commissioned a painting for the anniversary. The painting, by artist Mike Marks, depicted the ruins of one of the towers framed by other buildings. The piece was large - it covered most of a bay door - so it would make an impression on passers-by, said Ed Marks, president of the Portland Veteran Firemen's Association, the group that runs the museum, and the artist's father.

"Our theme really is: Never forget," Marks said.

Among the events planned in remembrance of the attacks were a U.S. Coast Guard Band performance in Portland and a showing in Rockland of a documentary made at ground zero. The Orono Fire Department planned readings, music and tolling of bells. An "America Supports You Freedom Walk" was scheduled in Eastport for the evening. At Bangor's Central Fire Station, a morning ceremony included a prayer, a proclamation by the firefighters union and a short video about the attacks.

The anniversary is a difficult day for Astrid Vigeland, the owner of Folly 101 on Portland's Exchange Street. Each year she places a bouquet of flowers and a sign with the date of the attacks in her store window. This year, pale hydrangeas shared a table with a simple, silver-framed sign.

For Vigeland, who used to live in New York, Sept. 11, 2001, was a day filled with fear and frantic phone calls with friends and families as they tried to confirm the well-being of their loved ones. A brother and a sister-in-law were working in New York, and another brother was scheduled to fly out of Boston that day. They turned out to be OK, as was a friend who survived his second attack on the World Trade Center.

"I recognize it is a day for all of us to reflect and remember, be a little bit more gentle, a little kinder," she said.

Passengers aboard a Carnival Cruise Lines ship in Portland observed a moment of silence, said Roberta Lilja, a passenger from Denver who was wearing a navy sweatshirt decorated with "New York" and a U.S. flag. Lilja, who works in insurance and billing at a hospital, had already said her prayers Monday for those who died in the attacks.

"You have to remember. You can't forget, just because it was five years ago," she said. "Life goes on, but you can't forget."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.