Nassau County officials have broken ground on a new $350,000 September 11th memorial in East Meadow, which will replace an aging monument that contains a significant engraved typo. The project, announced by County Executive Bruce Blakeman alongside fire officials and other elected representatives, is slated for completion ahead of the 25th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The current memorial, located in Eisenhower Park, has shown signs of wear, including fading and cracking. A prominent error on its plaque mispelled "Court Officer" as "Court Oficer" on one of the first responder badges depicted. "This particular memorial was beautiful when it was first unveiled, but it’s tired — and we have a commitment to excellence in this county, a commitment that everything that we do, we do our best," Blakeman stated at the groundbreaking ceremony.
He added, "And this new memorial will help us to do our best to remember those who gave their life, in the line of duty, a debt that never can be fully repaid by the residents of Nassau County, the metropolitan area, our state, or our country." Blakeman's nephew, Tommy Jurgens, who died in the attacks, is among those honored on the existing memorial.
The Nassau County Legislature unanimously approved $150,000 in taxpayer funds for the new memorial, with the remaining $200,000 secured through private donations, including a $100,000 contribution from the Peter and Jeri Dejana Foundation.
First responders who were present on the scene during 9/11 expressed their support for the new monument. Ralph Esposito, chairman of the Nassau County Firefighters Memorial Endowment Association, described the existing memorial as "much needed" due to its condition and the spelling error. Esposito, who worked on the rubble for nearly 30 days after the attacks, called the project "very, very emotional."
The upcoming memorial will honor all 19 Nassau County volunteer firefighters killed in the 2001 attacks. It will also include the names of an additional 30 individuals who have died in the years since from illnesses attributed to their exposure at Ground Zero, a number that officials note tragically continues to rise.