09/11/2026
From the Mayor’s Office - September 11, 2026
The following speech was read by Mayor Newhard on September 11, 2026, at the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at Veteran's Memorial Park-
Friends, neighbors, members of the Warwick Fire Department, Police Department and Ambulance Corps, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and their Auxiliaries, invited clergy, elected officials and guests,
I would like to thank the Warwick Fire Department for organizing this evening’s event, with special thanks to the Warwick American Legion, who began this memorial ceremony 25 years ago.
In the aftermath of the morning of September 11, 2001, as we learned of the loss of 2,977 victims at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and aboard United Airlines Flight 93, including 441 first responders, we met here in Veterans Memorial Park that evening under the lights of the ballfield. A large crowd gathered to make sense of the attack and to find solace in community. It was the beginning of an outpouring of grief and love for all the victims, and especially the eight who called Warwick their home.
The events of that crystal-clear morning are forever etched into our minds. The days that followed, and our nation’s reaction to an act of violation and violence on our soil, remain a part of history, as does the subsequent War on Terror—a war that, in some form, is still with us today. Terrorism is meant to strike fear, but in this case, it fostered a national spirit, unity and deeper patriotism.
We must remember, here on our home front, the cleanup efforts at Ground Zero and the many brave souls who worked tirelessly in search and recovery, only later to fall to the invisible pathogens that permeated the soil, the air, and then their bodies.
We must remember the soldiers who fought throughout the Middle East. Their bravery and their lives have been the face of our nation and are so closely connected to the memory of each victim of that day.
Twenty-five years—a quarter of a century—have gone by, and we meet again, together in solidarity and in memory. It is this event that keeps the flame alive, as do the 9/11 Monument, Memorial Tree and Sculpture Garden, all created through community effort and cared for by volunteers and the Warwick Valley Gardeners.
This evening, we will ring a bell for each of Warwick’s departed, as we have every year since that evening in 2001. It is in the resonance of each tone that we remember and reflect on individuals we knew and loved. It is the sound that breaks the silence, revives our memories, and reminds us of the preciousness of life.
It is our actions today, and this ceremony, that speak to our ongoing connection to the magnitude of what occurred, the loss we endured, and the promise that we will never forget.
