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Westchester Honors Victims Of Sept. 11

Westchester County paid tribute to the 111 residents and 12 former residents who died on Sept. 11 in a ceremony Monday night at The Rising, the county's 9/11 memorial in Valhalla.

Rob Astorino speaks at the county's Sept. 11 ceremony.

Rob Astorino speaks at the county's Sept. 11 ceremony.

Photo Credit: Contributed

At the ceremony, County Executive Rob Astorino spotlighted the first responders who died due to 9/11 related illnesses. 

"Into the horror went our heroes. Without hesitation, cops, firefighters and EMT’s rushed to save lives. In doing so, many gave their own,” said Astorino. “Sadly, the dynamism of 9/11 also brings more loss."

Astorino named a number of the fallen first responders who have died in the years after 9/11:

• New York City Firefighter Luis dePeña of Mount Vernon

• New York City Police Officer Nicholas Finelli of Hawthorne

• New York City Police Officer Joseph Heid of Yonkers

• New York City Detective Joseph Seabrook of Mount Vernon

• New York City Detective First Grade James W. Monahan of Ossining

• New York City Police Captain Ronald G. Peifer Sr. of Hartsdale

• Peekskill Detective Charles Wassil Jr. of White Plains

• Yonkers Police Lieutenant Roy McLaughlin of Yonkers

• Yonkers Police Officer Anthony Maggiore of Cortlandt

• Fairview Firefighter Robert A. Mentrasti of Greenburgh.

“Along with their names, we will tell the world that the lives we lost to 9/11 are lives that make us all stronger,” said Astorino. “The human spirit is a giving spirit that cannot be extinguished. That is the enduring message of 9/11 that we celebrate each year.”

Astorino spotlighted Kevin Byrnes, Sr, a Pleasantville native and New York City firefighter who died from lung disease in 2004 after assisting with the cleanup at Ground Zero. Byrnes was the first firefighter from Westchester to die from a Sept. 11 related illness.

Byrnes' widow, Anne, laid a commemorative wreath on the Beam of Remembrance. 

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