Beacon event urges life without regrets

By Rasheed Oluwa
Poughkeepsie Journal

BEACON -- A few hundred people gathered beneath slightly overcast skies at the Beacon Municipal Building Wednesday morning to pay respects to police officers, firefighters and others killed in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Although a year has passed since the attacks, the events of that day remained ingrained in the minds of many of those in attendance.

''We live in a world with no second chances,'' said Rev. Owen Mercer, chaplain of the Beacon fire department. ''If you need to say 'I love you' to a loved one, do it. If you need to say 'sorry' to someone, do it, because those are the things you live to regret.''

The event was organized by the Retired Police Officers Association of Beacon. Vernon Way, president of the association, said the organization wanted to honor the police officers, firefighters and emergency workers who died in the World Trade Center attacks.

''As a former police officer, I realize that you have the fear for nothing,'' Way said. ''I think people realized that today.''

Beacon resident Jeff Quinn agreed.

''It's still beyond my comprehension that people could run inside, knowing they could die,'' he said. ''I haven't forgotten and I don't think that I will ever forget.''

A time to grieve

For some, the ceremony was a chance to remember friends and family members killed in the attacks.

Beacon residents Cynthia Chambers and her mother, Elsie Ruiz, came to remember Chambers' sister-in-law, Virginia Fox-Chambers. Fox-Chambers was working at the World Trade Center at the time of the attacks.

Chambers said work prevented her from joining the rest of her family for memorial services in New York City.

''I haven't really thought about (Sept. 11) since it happened, but being here gives me the chance to grieve,'' she said.

''It's the forgiving part that's the hardest. It's not so easy to forgive,'' Ruiz said.

Although Beacon Mayor Clara Lou Gould was pleased with the turnout, she was also quick to point out that life moves on. She reminded people not to dwell on the negatives of Sept. 11.

''It's a difficult, but it's also a joyous day,'' she said