By Dan Hust
MONTICELLO — Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther summed it thusly:
“It’s hard to imagine 10 years have passed ...”
Sunday was the 10th anniversary of 9/11, but even on Friday, a large crowd gathered solemnly inside the Government Center to recall that fateful day.
“None of us can ever forget the horror and the sorrow that we all felt on that day,” Gunther remarked.
Especially not John Scanlon, a former Smallwood resident.
“I lost my nephew on 9/11,” he told the crowd. Scott McGovern was 35 at the time of his death in the collapse of the Twin Towers.
“The senseless, cowardly act on 9/11 will stay in our hearts forever.”
The volunteer firefighter urged all to return the American flag to their cars, as they once did in the days after September 11, 2001.
“We are Americans, and we should stand strong,” Scanlon affirmed.
NYS Secretary of State Cesar Perales also joined the somber crowd “to honor the memory of those whose lives were cut short on that day.”
And to pay tribute to those who sprang into action.
“In the face of great heartbreak,” he explained, “we gained countless unassuming heroes.
“... Through it all, we learned that good can prevail over evil and that heroism can triumph over terrorism.”