BOSTON (WHDH) - Special ceremonies were held Tuesday in the Boston to honor all of the Massachusetts natives who lost their lives 17 years ago in the horrific Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Relatives of Mark Bavis, who had boarded a plane to Los Angeles that was hijacked and flown into World Trade Center’s South Tower, laid a wreath in his memory during a gathering in the Public Garden.
Two of the planes that crashed took off from Boston, one of which was piloted by American Airlines Pilot and Dracut native John Ogonowski.
His grown daughters were just children when his plane was subsequently hijacked and flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
“We were only teenagers, and Mary wasn’t even a teenager at the time,” Laura Ogonowski said. “We lived a lot of our lives and our dad has missed out on a lot of it.”
“I was so young so I had never heard of terrorism before,” Mary Ogonowski added. “It was so overwhelming.”
The names of the 207 Bay State residents who were killed were read aloud during a somber ceremony at the State House. A remembrance was also held on the USS Constitution in Charlestown. Gun salutes marked the tragedy and Taps was played to remember the fallen.
Joshua Hammon was one of many young men and women who were moved to enlist when the towers fell.
“I was saddened for the loss of life. I was energized by the opportunity to get up and do something and be part of something other than just myself,” he said.
Families of the victims urged everyone to never forget the lives that were lost.
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