DERBY – Aric Tegtmeier was six years old when his father, Manhattan firefighter Paul Tegtmeier, took an overtime shift at the station after working through the night before.
His father returned to the station for what would turn into the tragic and historic morning on Sept. 11, 2001.
“As he was driving up the West Side Highway, he witnessed the first plane hit the tower,” Aric Tegtmeier said.
He arrived at the station just in time to hop on Engine 37 with members of his company.
“The company made their way to the South Tower, and their last location was somewhere above the thirtieth floor,” he said.
Paul Tegtmeier was one of 2,977 people killed in the terrorist attacks on that day, and his son Aric, who today serves as a New York City firefighter himself, told his story as part of Derby’s remembrance ceremony on the 24th anniversary of the attacks.
About 100 people gathered on the Derby Green and heard from a host of speakers including Tegtmeier, first responders, and elected officials. The ceremony was led by former Derby Fire Department Capt. Mike Witek.
Derby Fire Department Chief Thomas Biggs said the country is now more than two decades removed from that day – but it’s as necessary as ever to keep its memory alive.
“As we approach the 25th anniversary, it seems people are forgetting what happened on that dreadful day. Sept. 11 is a day that we should never forget, a day that should be talked about for years to come,” Biggs said.
Biggs, along with other speakers, said they were encouraged by a crowd that seems to grow larger, not smaller, with each passing year.
At the ceremony, Derby Elks Lodge #571 Exalted Ruler Maria Blackwell presented a series of donations from the Elks to city first responder organizations. Jett Parker led the crowd in the national anthem, while Scout Troop 3 led the pledge of allegiance.
Speakers also pointed to recent episodes of political violence across the country. A moment of silence was held for Charlie Kirk, assassinated while speaking at a university Wednesday.
Witek said that, as partisan divides grow and such episodes become more common, the country would do well to come together, just as it did in the days following Sept. 11.
“In light of recent events, now more than ever, Americans need that mentality back. Patriotism and humanity are at our core,” Witek said.
Speakers also called attention to the ongoing health battles fought by those first responders who worked the Pile at Ground Zero – in the weeks and months following those attacks. Hundreds of firefighters survived the initial attacks, to later battle cancers and respiratory illnesses linked to their service in the rescue and recovery efforts.
Aric Tegtmeier, who volunteered with the Storms Ambulance Corps and Shelton Fire Department before following his father’s footsteps in the FDNY, said the bravery of those first responders continues to this day.
He referred to a conversation he had with Mike Lupo, the only responding member of his father’s engine to have survived the attacks on the Twin Towers. Lupo had been responsible for pumping water on the site, and remembered watching the other members of his engine walk toward the tower.
“Mike got to work following the captain’s orders, and he remembered looking back at the company as they were walking away,” Aric Tegtmeier said. “He said he felt jealous in that moment, as they all looked like superheroes, and he was here, stuck outside, pumping that rig.”