9/11 Remembered: 10th Anniversary Memorial Events in Utica

            Residents gathered at Utica City Hall to commemorate the events that took place 10 years ago.  Utica residents were joined with some first-responders who were working in New York City the day of the attacks.  And for those first-responders, it brings back a lot of memories.  EMT for the New York City Fire Department Oren Barzilay remembers it as a chaotic day.  "We saw a lot of destruction," he said, "things that you would only see in a war zone."

            John Lyman, now a Utica resident, was working in Pennsylvania in 2001 when he was called into Manhattan to help out fellow first responders. "We just started doing what we do," Lyman said, "giving first aid, directing traffic." 

Lyman says while he looks back on that day with a lot of sadness, he focuses on moving forward and giving back to his community, as many Uticans did today.  The Parkway Recreation Center hosted the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.  More than 200 volunteers from the community gathered to donate food and then package it for area food banks and local veterans.  The Center said they got more volunteers than they were expecting and were very pleased to see so many in the community giving back on this important day.