Over $100,000 was raised for the families of wounded and fallen soldiers at the State Elks Association’s seventh annual Army of Hope event held on Sept. 11 at the Lacey Elks Lodge. “The event was held to pay tribute and show support for our Fallen Heroes, our Wounded Warriors and their families, and the brave members of the armed forces from New Jersey for their dedication and sacrifice in defending our freedoms,” spokesperson Jeffrey Hein said. The event typically raises approximately $100,000 annually but Rich Tabachuck, Chairman of the State Elks was hoping to raise enough to donate $1,000…

A few, small voices began to sing. Little by little, more joined in.  "God Bless America" wasn't on the program Sunday night. But before long, the entire crowd of about 100 at Point Borough's 9-11 remembrance ceremony, some with candles in hand, erupted with an impromptu rendition of the patriotic standard after Mayor William Schroeder delivered his closing remarks.  The gloomy, dark clouds and threat of rain at Community Park were in stark contrast to the words of hope that Schroeder spoke. "As we reflect on the past, we're willing to move to the future," he said. "A future bright, secure …

When Anthony J. Dixon told his parents he joined the U.S. Army, his parents were shocked. They had thought he left the home to sign up for the National Guard. But six years after his death, his mother stands proud at the State Elks’ seventh annual Army of Hope event. “I look forward to this every year,” Jacquelyn Dixon said. “It’s a great organization. They just show you so much respect. It makes you feel so warm and special.” Families of fallen and wounded soldiers were escorted and honored at the Lacey Elks Lodge as over 1,000 erupted in applause for their service. After the events of 9/11…

The Rev. Maria B. Sanzo told the congregation filling St. Mary's By the Sea on Sunday morning that they must follow the Holy Spirit on a day like Sept. 11th and beyond. "God knows what she's doing," said Sanzo, assistant rector at the Episcopal church on Bay Avenue in Point Beach, making many of her congregants laugh. Sanzo encouraged the parishioners to find strength and guidance in the Holy Spirit and quoted an excerpt from a prayer that says, "May the Holy Spirit direct and rule our hearts. "That's a be-careful-what you-ask-for kind of prayer," she said, getting another laugh, "because we'…

In Holiday City, Toms River and elsewhere, Jersey Shore residents remembered, cried and came to terms with what happened 10 years ago, when 3,000 people - some of them local, others not - perished at the hands of terrorists. A large crowd gathered at Holiday City at Berkeley's Clubhouse 2 for a ceremony to honor those who were lost during the attacks of 9/11. Berkeley Mayor Jason Varano addressed the audience and said although the tragedy was horrific, it united the country. "While the loss was great beyond description... we came together to support each other during those terrible days," …

St. Mary's by the Sea Episcopal Church honored police, fire, first aid squad and military service members, and memorialized those lost on Sept. 11th, in a 10 a.m. Sunday service. The church, at 804 Bay Ave., Point Beach, incorporated the ceremony into the middle of its regular 10 a.m. liturgy on Sunday, the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11th, said the Rev. Maria Sanzo on Thursday. "This is a memorial, but also a service of gratitude for those who are serving our community," said Sanzo, the church's assistant rector. "The 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 makes us more acutely aware of what they do," …

The story that follows is another in our series profiling local residents affected by 9/11. As the 10th anniversary of the attacks approaches, Patch is inviting all readers to share their stories of that day and its aftermath. Salvatore Velez watches every 9/11 special and documentary he can find. When police and fire communications from the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center are released, the retired New York City firefighter listens to all the recordings. He's not trying to torture himself. He said he’s just trying, from the distance of a decade, to catch a glimpse of the friends he …

In the days surrounding Sept. 11 this year, many will find personal ways to reckon with the tragic events of a decade earlier. Some will travel to New York City, Washington D.C. or to a field in rural Pennsylvania to visit memorials established to honor those lives lost or changed forever on that day. But residents of Brick Township have a very special monument in their own backyard.  In Windward Beach Park, just off Princeton Avenue, they will find a statue titled, Angel in Anguish. Kneeling in a circular garden near the edge of the Metedconk River, this sorrowful bronze figure wraps her …

Laraine Sgroi will be speing the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in Brick. That's just where she was when they occured, claiming the life of her ex-husband, Thomas, who worked on the 95th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center when it was hit. "We avoid the city altogether," she said, when asked if she would be attending the memorial event in New York City scheduled for the anniversary next month. "I don't put the TV on. I don't watch the ceremony, because for us it's not just that day. It's every day." But Sgroi still wants her hometown to remember what happened. …

OCEAN COUNTY BARNEGAT 9-11 ceremonyBarnegat American Legion and Township CommitteeSunday, 11 a.m.Location: Municipal Dock 411 East Bay AvenueMemorial ceremonyPresentation of a 9/11 flagSunday, 11 a.m.Location: Four Seasons at Mirage clubhouse1 Esplande Drive 9/11 memorial dedicationFriday, 6 p.m.Location: Township memorialNear Barnegat High School football field BERKELEY September 11 memorial service and dedication of Twin Towers SteelSaturday, 6:30 p.m.Location: Veterans Park Annual Sept. 11 memorial serviceSunday, noonLocation: Holiday City at BerkeleyClubhouse II on Port Royal Drive BRICK …

A thick beard and long blonde hair are a far cry from the clean-shaved and high and tight haircut he sported during his years in the Army, but for Jon Keller the memories of his service in Iraq and Afghanistan are still vivid. As Americans reflect upon the 10-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, the Afghanistan and Iraq veteran can't believe how fast the time flew. "Where did the time go? It feels like it just happened," he said. "I guess I'll be looking back on the 20th anniversary and thinking 'where did 10 years go?' " Now a Belmar resident, Keller was a 15-year-old …

As a poet from a working-class New Jersey background who teaches at a small community college tucked into the Northwest corner of his home state, BJ Ward is accustomed to being ignored. Which makes the public’s awareness — and gratitude — for one of his poems, For the Children of the World Trade Center Victims, all the more remarkable to him. Ten years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Ward still hears from the children and wives of Sept. 11 (but no husbands so far) emailing or calling to thank him for expressing what they are still trying to absorb. “They are the living victims. They still have an…

I've long wondered how I should lend my voice to the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. As the Jersey Shore regional editor for Patch.com, I often get called on to write the obituary of record, or to find the right prose for the event of the month—Hurricane Irene, for example—that commands the attention of my hometown area.This time, I was expecting to step into the background, and let others shine. Little did I know, however, that the words were already written.The book of my family, "A Legacy of Madness: Recovering My Family From Generations of Mental Illness," will be released on …

"This is the hour of lead Remembered if outlived, As freezing persons recollect the snow — First chill, then stupor, then the letting go." —Emily Dickinson   Colleen Meehan Barkow and her mother JoAnn Meehan spent the weekend before Sept. 11, 2001 happily shopping for towels and linens for the 26-year-old's new home in the Poconos. Colleen and her husband Daniel, married less than a year, were planning to move into the house at the end of October. It meant a long commute into New York, where Colleen worked as a facilities director for Cantor Fitzgerald, on the 103rd floor of the North Tower …

The guessing game had already been played: reporters dispatched to places most likely to produce the news for the next day’s paper. Seldom have the guesses been more wrong than those made on Sept. 10 about what needed covering on Sept. 11, 2001. My assignment was to cover a stop by a Democrat running for governor at the Ramada Inn on Route 9 in Toms River, early that morning. It was early in the race, and solidly red Ocean County was hardly the place a Democrat would pick for a major campaign announcement, but I was there anyway. Jim McGreevey seemed in a hurry when he burst through the door…

As John and Barbara Sullivan unfolded an 8-by-12-foot American flag, they became emotional. It had been 10 years since they looked at the flag that was signed by thousands just after 9/11. “This is even hard for us,” John said. The couple, owners of American Eagle Flag, LLC on Lacey Road in Forked River, never anticipated that their product would become a hot commodity and under the circumstances, they wished it hadn’t. “Our business is the pulse of how the country is feeling at the time,” John said. “Many times when business is booming, it means the country is in turmoil.” John was working …

We looked at the Jersey Shore to see how the events of Sept. 11 had changed people's lives. Here are their stories, as well as those of more than two dozen others from across the state.

A ceremony honoring those lost on Sept. 11 will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday at Community Park on Bridge Avenue and Beaver Dam Road in Point Borough. Mayor William Schroeder announced at the Tuesday night council meeting that a memorial ceremony will be held at the park on the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. He also said he is asking all borough residents to fly American flags to honor the day and "the American way." "Right after Sept. 11, it seemed like the town was painted red, white and blue, with everyone's flags out," Schroeder said. "I would like to ask the residents to do that …

During the summer, Patch began collecting readers' photos of the World Trade Center, a growing gallery in tribute to the Twin Towers. As the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks draws near, we'll be remembering New Jersey residents who died that clear September morning. But we also wanted to pay tribute to the towers—iconic symbols of hope and prosperity—when they stood tall and proud, dominating the New York City skyline.  We asked and you delivered, sending in more than a hundred photos statewide that represent your favorite memories: the shimmering skyline at nightfall, the view…

The bond between New York City and Point Pleasant Beach is one of steel. The New York City Fire Department presented a piece of World Trade Center steel - as well as a helmet and badges - to Point Beach firefighters Saturday for their "fantastic support" during numerous funerals for the fallen since the Sept. 11 attacks. Mark Drew, Point Beach's volunteer fire department chief, said he and his volunteers drove their aerial truck, displaying a large American flag, from one funeral to another in the days following the Sept. 11th attacks. Drew posed with New York City Fire Department Capt. Peter…