Mayor Mamdani Delivers Remarks in Remembrance Ruck

Stand by for the presentation of colors by the aviation high school color guard and national anthem performed by Cadet Protasha Saha. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Oh, say can you see by the dawn early lights so proudly we held at the twilight last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars through the fight or the ramps we watch were so gallently streaming and the rockets. The bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star spangled banner way for the land of the free and the home of the Hey, Heat. Please welcome to the stage Deacon Carlos Garcia for this morning's invocation. I'd like to dedicate this prayer to the memory of Staff Sergeant Angel Sarah Rampasad. Let us bow our heads. Today we come together in remembrance. We remember the nearly 3,000 innocent men, women, and children whose lives were taken from us on September 11th, 2001. We remember the firefighters, police officers, correction officers, EMTs, military members, and first responders who ran toward danger while others were running away. We remember the ordinary citizens who showed extraordinary courage. We remember the families who lost loved ones and the generations who continue to carry that loss. And we remember the service and sacrifice of the men and women of our armed forces who answered the call in the years that followed. For those who made the ultimate sacrifice, may their memory never fade. For those who survived, may they find strength, healing, and peace. For our vet veterans and first responders gathered here today, we honor not only what you have done, but the spirit of service that continues to guide you. As we begin this ruck, may every step we take carry a message we remember, we honor, we will never forget. May we have the strength to carry the weight of remembrance, the courage to stand together, and the compassion to support those who still carry invisible burdens. Today and always, we remember September 11th, not only for the tragedy, but for the courage, compassion, sacrifice, and unity that followed. May the families of the fallen know that their loved ones are still remembered. May those who gave their lives in service rest in peace. And may we never forget, we remember, we honor, we carry on. Srirafi Delis. >> Please welcome to the stage the mayor of the city of New York, Zordonqame Mandani. >> Welcome brother. Good morning everyone. I want to thank everyone who is here with us on a Sunday morning as we honor the veterans, service members, military families, and military community of our city. I know that this ruck will be difficult, but that is exactly why we are here. After all, we have come together to remember and honor those who sacrificed so much for us, those who endured immense hardship. And it is only fair that for a few minutes we feel a small fraction of the same. I want to acknowledge a number of leaders both inside and outside of city government who have joined us here today. We have commissioners from a wide variety of city agencies and departments. We have the chair of the veterans committee and the city council, city council member Frank Morano who is here with us. We have assembly member Joanne Simon who is the chair of the mental health committee in Albany in the assembly. We have our deacon Carlos Garcia, the chief of staff of the Marine Corps League. We have Master Gunnery Sergeant John Escalante, a Marine Corps veteran, and Travis Manion Foundation member. And if we can also have a round of applause for all of those New Yorkers who just performed the color guard and the national anthem as well. You know, on Friday, we marked 25 years since the horrific terror attacks of September 11th, the darkest day in our city's history. And yet, as we remember all those who were stolen from us, we remember too the enormous heroism and sacrifice on that day and the ones that followed. The story of that bravery cannot be told without invoking the members of the armed forces who responded without hesitation, who rescued New Yorkers, who protected New Yorkers who were New Yorkers. Everywhere you looked, New Yorkers were helping New Yorkers. And everywhere you looked, members of the armed services were helping lead the way. I think of the military vessels that carried thousands of stranded New Yorkers off the base of Manhattan and towards safety. I think of the Army Corps engineers who arrived at a site of enormous devastation and desolation where fires burned and dust swirled and immediately began organizing and making order of the chaos. They set up the generators that powered search and rescue efforts. And when thousands of New Yorkers returned home, they had the electricity they needed to turn on the lights, to wash their hands, to begin rebuilding. And I think of that first day when hope was so scarce, when the suffering was so vast, the pile was a jagged field of rubble and fire. It was hard to imagine that anyone could have survived. It was even harder to imagine searching somewhere so dangerous. But two Marines, Jason Thomas and David Karren, did not hesitate. And when two trapped Port Authority police officers were finally found, the first words they heard were, "Is anyone down there?" United States Marines, I think of what those two officers, Will Jimeo and John Mclofflin, would have seen when they emerged from the wreck. It would have been the same thing that so many New Yorkers saw over the weeks and months that followed. members of the armed services standing next to firefighters and police officers and construction workers working side by side to help our city recover and to help our city rebuild. And yet that legacy of service is nothing new. For as long as there has been a New York, the people of this city have felt called to serve. The sons and daughters of our city have answered the call year after year at every moment of conflict and strife. Too many have not returned home. Too many homes in M Haven and Ocean Hill and Tomkinsville have an empty seat at the dining room table. We are together today to honor that service, to thank all those who have sacrificed more than words could ever fully capture for our city and for our beloved nation. This is our city's first ever remembrance ruck. We are holding it this year to make real and to make tangible our commitment to those who have served, the families that have sacrificed so much, and the countless New Yorkers who form our veteran and military community. As we set across the Brooklyn Bridge with the Manhattan skyline before us, I want to ask something of each of us. There will be a moment on this bridge where the weight in our ruck starts to drag us down. Where our legs get heavy, where the finish feels far away. In that moment, do not push that doubt away. Sit with it. And then think of all those who served, each of whom carried unimaginable weights, each of whom felt countless moments of uncertainty and doubt. And let their perseverance and resolve give us strength. Time after time, they placed one foot after the other. So too can we when we are finished, when we return home, there is one more thing I ask for. Let us not allow our commitment to our veteran and military community be satisfied by one ruck, by one morning of exertion. Let it endure each day that follows as we work to build a city that honors our veterans in everything we do and in every decision we make. We know that too many of our veterans contend with hardship and adversity, food insecurity and homelessness, social isolation and mental health struggles. Together, let us deliver dignity into their lives. And let us ensure that here in the wealthiest city in the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, those who served us receive the services and support they so deeply deserve. Thank you so much for being here. Next, please welcome to the stage the deputy mayor for health and human services, Dr. Helen Artga. >> Good morning, Buenos Diaz. How are we doing? Rain or shine, New York City shows up. Thank you so much, Mayor. I am Dr. Helen Artiaga, the New York City Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services. I am honored to join you here and stand with you shouldertosh shoulder with our veterans community. Today, we say thank you. Today, we honor more than 135,000 veterans who call New York City home. We stand in support of more than 600 veteranowned businesses in New York City. We remember those that sacrificed everything for the service of this amazing country. We honor the 100 post 911 service members that gave their lives in this country during 911. While we can never fully thank them for making the ultimate sacrifice for all of us, I want to make sure that we keep our promise and we honor them today. We gather today to remember them, their families, their loved ones, and all those who served alongside them. In our toughest times, service members, military families, veterans answer the call every time. In honor of those individuals, our administration, our mayor, myself, we hope to answer the call for all veterans, many who rely on New York City services. That's why today at the end of the rug, please make sure we want to connect you each and one of you with assistance community resources at our resource fair. I look forward to joining you there at the finish line. Once again, thank you for your service, your commitment to this nation, to this city, and to most important to each other. Thank you for joining us today. Rain or shine, we built a stronger veteran community. Gracias. Next, please welcome the Commissioner of the Department of Veteran Services, Yenia Mata. >> Good morning everyone. to our veterans and service members, our gold star and military families, our first responders, community partners, and New Yorkers from across the five burrows. Thank you for being with us today and welcome to Whitman Park for today's remembrance ruck. Let me start by thanking Mayor Mandani and Deputy Mayor Artiaga for their leadership and support in bringing this event to life. I also want to recognize all of our amazing city agency partners for their work behind the scenes to help make today safe, accessible, and welcoming for everyone, especially on this rainy day. our generous sponsors for supporting this effort and the veteran serving organizations and community partners that worked with DVS to make today happen. This has been a citywide effort from the very beginning. Two days ago, we marked 25 years since September 11. We remembered the innocent lives taken that morning. We honor the firefighters, police officers, emergency responders, and everyday New Yorkers who raced toward danger. We remember the recovery workers who remained at the site in that days, weeks, and months that followed. And we stood with the families and survivors whose lives were forever changed. Today, we continue that remembrance for the courageous generation who stepped forward to serve in uniform. They left behind parents, spouses, children, and their communities. Many spent months, even years, far from home. Some across multiple deployments while their families lived with the uncertainty of each absence. Some did not return. Others came back home carrying experiences and pain that would remain with them and those closest to them for the rest of their lives. As a captain the United States Army Reserve and Military spouse, I know what it means when a person serves. That impacts reaches far beyond the person wearing the uniform. Families keep households running across time zones and long separations. They adjust plans, adapt to simply not knowing, and navigate homecomings that do not always happen all at once. They carry that service too. Our family carries that service. That is part of what today is about. Some of us will carry a rock. Some will carry the name of a fallen New Yorker. Others will walk alongside us. Or however you participate today, together we will move forward. The names read and carried across the Brooklyn Bridge today belong to people who had families, called New York home, and had plans for the future. They belong to people like Staff Sergeant James Magnan, an NYPD officer who was building a life with his fiance when he was killed while serving in Iraq. First Lieutenant Daniel Farcus, an NYPD lieutenant who worked at ground zero and was remembered by those who knew him for his quiet strength and sense of humor. Lance Corporal Nicholas White, a young man from Brooklyn who had dreams of continuing service in the military since he was a child and was already looking ahead to a career in law enforcement. Sergeant Christian Algundrum, an F FDN wife firefighter, former police officer, golf war veteran, husband and father who responded on September 11 and died while serving in Iraq. And St. Sergeant Angel Rampers, an Osen Park resident and John J. college graduate who played drums in her church choir and rant track killed while serving in Jordan earlier this year. Their stories are five among many. They remind us that the people we remember and honor were more than ranks, uniforms or names on a list. They made people laugh. They fell in love, raised families, and imagine a future for themselves that was never realized. Those details may seem small beside the scale of our loss, but that is the work of remembrance to return the person to the name. Ghostar families carry those lives and stories with them every day. They mark birthdays and anniversaries. They answer questions from their children and grandchildren. They build lives around an absence that does not grow smaller as life carries on. Our remembrance must allow must also include the veterans and service members we have lost to suicide and the families, friends, and fellow service members who carry that loss. They are part of the story we are telling today. In a few moments, we will walk across the Brooklyn Bridge alongside veterans, military families, neighbors, and supporters from all over this city. On the other side, after we finish at Foley Square, we will continue our work of remembrance with a resource fair at Surrogates Court. Because remembering must mean being there when a veteran needs stable housing. When a military spouse needs help finding their the right agency, when a family is trying to understand the support available to them, or when a former service member is searching for the connection, brotherhood, sisterhood that they thought they left behind in service. Public recognition and practical support belong together. As we walk today, let us make room for one another. If someone has a story to share, take time to listen. If someone chooses to walk in silence, honor that silence. Each of you re each of you have received a wristband with a QR code that shares the names and photos of New York City's fallen post 911 veterans. As we take each step together today, may we carry their names in our hearts and honor their lives, their service, and the loved ones who keep their memories alive. As we remember who we have lost, we are reminded of the veterans and families who remain. They are part of New York City. They have helped shaped it. And today, we rock for them, rain or shine onward. We will now begin our name reading ceremony. Please welcome once again Deacon Carlos Garcia, retired master gunnery sergeant John Escalante, Commissioner Yasen Mata, and Mayor Zoranwame Mamdani, Joseph Asivido, Shagun Aking Tade Juan M. Alcantara Nicholas J. Alaman Azar Ali Joseph D. Alamar David Ayala Joseph O. Beni Julian T. Brennan Roshane E. Brooks Marlon A. Bamante Pablo A. Calderon Jeffrey R. Calero Q Chay Steven Czecho Danny Chen Isaac T. Cortez, Terrence K. Crowe, Leopold F. Damas, Dne D. Donolul, Danolul, Janette T. Dunn, Christian P. Engelrum, Daniel Farcus, George L. Feliz Nvanches Coni Justin R. Garcia Good morning Demetrius Gabrielle Merlin Hermman Scott N. Hermosen Michael D. Glover Jose Gomez Luis M. Gonzalez, Skyler B. Haynes, Irving Hernandez, Roberto A. Hernandez, Kevin O. Hill, Manny Ornedo, Hai Ming Shai, Henry E. Isari, Michael J. Jakes, Linda C. Himenez, Alex R. Himenez, Rayan Johnson, Eric Alton Jones, Ailen Kamovington, Jeffrey Lamb, Denise A. Lanaman, Joseph G. Lim, Dwayne P. R Lewis, John D. Lind Roger Ling Angelo Loada Y Py Lynn Giovanni Maria Victor Martinez Colin Mason Joseph McKay John McKina James Mcnotton Julian Melo, Bobby Menddees, Sergio Mercedes Sai, Alonso Montenegro, Luis Moreno, Fabricio Moreno, Rammon Morris, Regilio Nellum, Mario Nelson, Francis Aaji, Michael Alis, Alfredo Paris, Michael Postal, James Prevetti, Angel Ramirez, Julian Rammon, Angel Ramperad, Alexander Rosa Jr., Ernando Rios, Brian Ritzburg, Jonathan Rea, Michael Rivera, Robert Rodriguez, Yvani Rendic, Rasheed Sahib, Ian Sanchez, Andrew Cabbrooks, Andrew Smith, Nathaniel Swindell, Dion Taylor, Rayan Dea, Jabari Thompson, Timothy Tony, Joseona, Ramona Valdez, Joseakayakon, Jason Vanzernek, Kimmel Watt, William White, Nicholas White, Lauron Wilson, Maitelland Wilson, George Wood. >> Thank you. Thank you everyone for joining us this morning as we honor and remember those we have lost and the families who carry their memory with them every day as we move forward together in this remembrance rock. We will now officially begin our rock. So, let's get ready, everyone.