United we stand. That’s how residents of Ocean County stood under the roof of St. Pius the Tenth Parish Roman Catholic Church in Forked River today as congregations of all faiths joined together for a 9/11-remembrance ceremony. “You talk about a faith community. This was it,” Peggy Craft of Lacey Township said. Leadership from a variety of congregations including B’nai Israel in Toms River, the Islamic Center of Ocean County, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Toms River and several churches in Lacey read from the Bible, Torah and Koran. Rev. Elizabeth Scheuerman of the Unitarian …

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," …

Earlier this summer, Long Branch Patch asked residents to share their stories of 9/11. This is the story submitted by Long Branch resident Judith Stein: A long-time New Yorker, I was vacationing at the Ocean Court Motel in Long Branch on September 11. Strolling along the boardwalk that morning, I was listening to my transistor radio when the news broke that the first plane had hit the tower. As I was rushing back to the motel, the second plane hit. When I got to my room, I turned on the TV, saw replays of the second plane hitting, then watched slack-jawed and terrified as the towers collapsed…

MONMOUTH COUNTY BELMAR Honor and Remember ServiceSunday, 9 a.m.Location: Monument RowMain Street, between 12th and 13th avenues HOWELL 9/11 ceremonySunday, 2 p.m.Location: Town Hall complex251 Preventorium Road LAKE COMO Fallen Heroes 5K Run Saturday, 9 a.m.Location: Bar Anticipation on 16th Avenue MANASQUAN Manasquan Classic Longboard Contest Sunday 7 a.m.Location: 1st Ave and Riverside Drive SEA GIRT Remembrance Ceremony Sunday, 1 p.m.Location: Sea Girt Firehouse Baltimore Boulevard and Fourth Avenue WALL TOWNSHIP Wreath CeremonySunday, 12:00 p.m.Location: Town Hall2700 Allaire Rd. OCEAN …

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 message was loud and clear at Long Branch High School on Friday morning during the Sept. 11, 2001 Commemoration Service. "It's not about flags and its not about colors; it's about people," Long Branch Superintendent Michael Salvatore said to a huge crowd in the Long Branch High School auditorium. Salvatore said everybody remembers where they were when they heard the news that our country was attacked almost 10 years ago. He said that it was a day that changed our country, but also brought its citizens together. "Through sadness, something miraculous happened," Salvatore said. "We started …

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 …

In memory of the tenth anniversary of Sept. 11, Oceanport resident John Bonforte, Sr. recently gave officials from the Long Branch fire department a large number of 9/11 baseball caps purchased from the Wall of Remembrance in Brooklyn. The hats are a tribute to the 343 New York City firefighters who gave their lives to serve the greater community. Sept. 11 is a day we all experienced in one way or another. It is a day most grown-ups will not forget. But what about the young people, who were not born yet, or were too young to understand what was happening? "We donate these hats to the men and …

Editor's note: Many New Jersey residents saw firsthand the attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. Now, 10 years later, we've asked some of them how the event changed their lives. We'll be sharing their stories all this week. Steve Napolitano, who was the General Manager of the George Washington Bridge and Bus Station on Sept. 11, 2001, remembers standing on the sidewalk the day after the terror attacks, staring at the American flag workers had just unfurled on the bridge "while car horns beeped as they drove beneath it." “It was really important that we do that; that we hang that flag…

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 Letter to Caitlyn: "You asked your mom why everyone is so sad around your birthday and you wonder why you never got to meet your Uncle Johnnie. I hope I can help you understand. "Before you were born, there were two really big buildings in New York City called the Twin Towers. Your Uncle Johnnie worked on the 104th floor of the building, almost at the very top! He worked with bankers and had lots of friends who worked with him. "A week before you were born, a group of men who did not like our country, did a very bad thing. They hijacked airplanes, which means they forced the pilots to let …

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…

For visitors to Long Branch City Hall, a reminder of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, is prevalent. On the second floor, just outside the Long Branch Council Chambers, there is a plaque that contains a piece of steel from the World Trade Center with an outline of the New York City skyline. The words "Presented to the Long Branch Fire Department, For Your Support in Our Time of Need" are printed at the bottom of the plaque. The Long Branch Fire Department provided trucks and manpower to New York City during and after 9/11, and assisted in whatever way it could. The plaque was sent to the …