The Bridge Filled With Buffalo's Heroes
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| Event organizer Laurie Kostrzewski leads one of the four moments of silence in the middle of the Scajaquada Pedestrian Bridge on Sept. 11.
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The Scajaquada Pedestrian Bridge sits empty and quiet most of the time.
365 days out of the year, it grants every biker or walker safe passage above the busy expressway, into or out of the sprawling trails of Delaware Park.
But for one day out of the year, the bridge is louder than ever, not by noise, but by remembrance.
On Friday, Sept. 11, dozens of American flags were draped over the metal guardrails of the bridge. Each flag righteously flapped in the wind, serving as a reminder to drivers who passed by of the tragedy endured by our country 25 years ago.
At the end of each flagpole stood a friend, a neighbor, or a child of the Buffalo community. Veterans wore hats, shirts and jackets filled with patches showcasing where they’ve served. Active military personnel stood stoically in uniform, alongside the Buffalo Police Department, Buffalo Fire Department and local EMS. The bridge was filled with Buffalo’s heroes.
As the event was just getting started, a woman came walking up the bridge. She was sporting an American flag button-up, holding a speaker, a headset, and an American flag. After embracing an old friend, she found her spot on the bridge and unrolled her flag. The wind did the rest of the work, and passing cars honked in acknowledgement.
This woman is Laurie Kostrzewski, a Buffalo resident and the organizer of this remembrance event. What started as a small way to pay tribute in 2003 turned into a can't-miss ceremony, growing larger and larger each year.
“There’s people from Cheektowaga, from Eden, from all parts of Western New York, and they’ve come here,” Kostrzewski said. “I think the significance is that it’s here in Buffalo, because Buffalo’s central to Western New York, and that we come together like this has a lot of meaning.”
Kostrzewski made sure to check in with everyone on the bridge, delivering hugs, thank-yous, and even bending down to check on a couple of patriotic pups who sat respectfully at their caretakers' feet.
From 8:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m., Kostrzewski led all four moments of silence, each recognizing one of the plane crashes on this day 25 years ago.
During these moments, Kostrzewski read the names of victims who resided in the Western New York area. A sense of togetherness lay heavy on the bridge during these times, along with the continuous honks of respect from below.
“It connects us somehow,” she said. “I didn’t actually know anybody who died, but still, as a country, we feel this because it was the worst attack ever.”
Kostrzewski is a strong advocate for education on this difficult, yet important topic. One way she wants to ensure that we always remember is by renaming the bridge to the 9/11 Heroes Bridge.
It’s been a 15-year mission, and she’s been able to get through the Senate, but the assemblymen have “ignored it.” She plans to push hard in January when the legislature reconvenes.
On the south end of the bridge, Jackson Fisher stood in solidarity alongside his fellow members of the United States Coast Guard. None were born before 2001, but all still felt compelled to attend.
“It means a lot for what they did, for what we currently do, and what we’re going to do in the future,” Fisher said about the gathering. He wants to set a positive example for younger people because that’s the impact that the previous generation left on him.
“I have family who have prior military service,” he said. “So seeing them serve for our community and our country is something I wanted to always do.”
One of the first people on the bridge Friday morning was Navy veteran Derek Sansone. It was Sansone’s third or fourth year attending, and as the sun beamed off his black Navy hat, he remembered the impact of this tragedy.
“At that time, the guard and reserve call-ups really affected swaths of greatly middle America, arguably greater than previous conflicts that had drafts,” Sansone said. “Because of that, you’d be hard-pressed to know somebody on Main Street, U.S.A., who wasn’t personally impacted by the conflict.”
Sansone believes remembering this nationwide tragedy in small communities like Buffalo helps teach the next generation.
“We have an obligation to set the example by remembering it or talking to our kids about it, even if they are busy in school and can’t make every event like this,” he said. “If we don’t show up, then we don’t remember.”
