Photo By Staff Sgt. Matthew Gunther | Brigadier General Isabel Smith, Director of the Joint Staff for the New York National...... read more read more
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New York Army National Guard Brigadier General Isabel Smith, outlined the challenges New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen faced when they responded to the 9/11 attacks during a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the event held at Saratoga National Cemetery in Schuylerville, New York on Saturday, Sept. 11.
Smith, who serves as the director of joint staff, was one of three main speakers at the event, which drew 200 to the rural Veterans Administration Cemetery near the historic Saratoga Battlefield.
She was joined by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who represents the region, and Fire Chief Gerald Morigerato, who responded to the attack as a member of New York’s Regional Response Team 1.
In 2001, Smith was assigned to the 53rd Troop Command and was one the more than 6,000 New York National guard Soldiers and Airmen who responded in New York City in the days and weeks and the months after the attack.
In her remarks, she recalled the way that the National Guard’s Lexington Avenue Armory became a place for families ask about missing relatives, and how 1,500 New York National Guard troops responded that day with 1,500 more coming on Sept. 12.
Smith, also spoke of the environment of dust, smoke and confusion that everybody operated in during the first few days after the Twin Towers buildings collapsed.
“The fortitude and perseverance of our first responders, which included Guardsmen, police officers , and fire fighters shown during this most difficult time in our state and nation, was just admirable: it was heroic,” Smith said.
Smith also noted that five members of the New York National Guard died when the World Trade Center collapsed.
Army 1st Lt. Gerard Baptiste, a firefighter; and Sgt. Larry Bowman, a security guard; and Air Guard Staff Sgt. Jerome Dominguez, who was also a firefighter, and Air Guard Staff Sgt. Jerome Dominguez, a police officer, all died trying to evacuate people.
Spc. Roshan Ramesh Singh who worked in the towers did not make it out.
Smith noted that the ceremony in Schuylerville was one of hundreds taking part across the country of Sept. 11, 2021. All of those ceremonies are connected by the same sentiments, she said.
“We all carry the same sentiment in our hearts and that is we are proud to serve this great country whether it is public service, military service or volunteering for a cause,” Smith said.
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 09.11.2021 12:47 |
| Story ID: | 404978 |
| Location: | SCHUYLERVILLE, NY, US, NEW YORK, US |
| Hometown: | SCHUYLERVILLE, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 108 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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