For the victims, heroes

Austintown 911 Memorial

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Photo by: Robert K. Yosay

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MOMENT OF SILENCE: Austintown police Officer Jeffrey Toth holds a poster with the portraits and names of all officers who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. At his side, Drew Swecker, a junior at Austintown Fitch High School, waits to play taps after a moment of silence during a memorial service Friday morning.

Photo by: Robert K. Yosay

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GUEST SPEAKER: John Infante, who worked at the Pentagon until 1995, was nearby during the attacks of Sept. 11. He spoke to those in attendance at a memorial service Friday and expressed his sadness for the event and his pride in first responders and those who sacrificed themselves in order to save others.

Photo by: Robert K. Yosay

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TWIN TOWERS: Two marble pillars stand as a memorial of the Twin Towers in New York City, which were destroyed when terrorists hijacked airplanes and crashed them into the structures. A piece of steel from one of the towers sits at the base.

Photo by: Robert K. Yosay

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HONOR GUARD: Austintown firefighters John Fritz, left, and Tom Neff stand at attention as part of a special honor guard during a Sept. 11 memorial service in the township. There was a moment of silence as volunteers tolled a bell to symbolize the multiple crashes during the terrorist attacks.

By Jon Moffett

The guest speaker at Austintown’s event used to work at the Pentagon.

AUSTINTOWN — John Mashiska, like many people, remembers Sept. 11, 2001, as if it were yesterday.

“That day I was at United Local Schools. I worked for the auditor’s office, and I was auditing them,” he said. “At that time, the superintendent and treasurer came down and told us there was something happening on the TV. We came down and watched the second plane hit the building.”

Mashiska, 52, of Austintown, and about 250 others gathered for a Sept. 11 memorial service Friday to mark the eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. They gathered at the Mahoning Valley 9-11 Memorial Park on Raccoon Road in the township.

Guest speaker John Infante, an employee of the Pentagon for 10 years until he moved from the building in 1995, told those gathered that his old office was “about a two-minute walk” from the impact site.

He, too, remembers vividly the events of that day.

“I could take you to the spot in Mount Carmel School in Niles when Kennedy was shot,” he said in his speech. “And I can tell you exactly where I was and what I was doing during the [Sept. 11] attacks.”

Infante, who works for the National Guard and was in Washington, D.C., during the attacks, said he doesn’t quite remember when he got around to contacting his wife or parents after the attacks. He said the events after were “all a blur.”

He also told the crowd the stories of others who were present, including first responders who he said were the heroes of that day. The crowd agreed with him by giving a round of applause.

Other special guests at the ceremony were members of the Austintown police and fire departments. Four firefighters made up an honor guard that placed wreaths near one of the park’s monuments as two members of the Austintown Fitch High School Marching Band played taps.

Located within the park are relics from the three actual crash sites. A piece of steel from one of the Twin Towers, bricks from the Pentagon and an urn of soil from Shanksville, Pa., are placed throughout the park, which also features a gazebo and small chapel. A brick walkway leads patrons from the flagpoles — which were at half-staff — along the park.

An official with the Austintown Beautification Committee, which is responsible for the park, said people use the park for personal meditation and have weddings in the chapel.

Patrick Connoly, chairman of the committee, said the park is a good representation of how Americans have not forgotten the tragic events.

“They didn’t only attack New York City, Shanksville and the Pentagon; they attacked America,” he said. “They may have destroyed our buildings, but they didn’t scratch our spirits.”

Connoly said he was visiting a grandchild at the time of attacks. He said he, along with many others, thought the first crash was an accident. But after watching the second plane hit, he knew it had become one of the darkest days in the nation’s history.

“It was just total chaos,” he said. “It would be like if you had some devastation within your family. For the first few hours, you don’t know how you’re going to handle the situation. You have a certain amount of moments where you just don’t know what you’re going to do.”

Mashiska said keeping the memory of Sept. 11 alive is the best form of justice for the victims.

“You remember it,” he said. “Even though we’re in Ohio and it was in Pennsylvania, New York and Washington, you always remember it because you saw it. ... You saw the disaster, we saw the people that died and you saw the police and firemen who risked their lives and died trying to get people out. It was an attack on all of us, and we as Americans have to come forward and protect our own.”

jmoffett@vindy.com