Twenty-three years after the 9/11 attacks, Lakewood Township lowered its flags at Town Hall and other Township facilities to half-staff in honor of the victims of the worst terrorist attack in American history.

Nearly one-quarter of the 2,977 innocents killed on that fateful day were New Jerseyans – leaving a painful void for the entire State; their communities; and, most of all, their families.

Mayor Ray Coles shares that, in addition, six fellow graduates of his high school alma mater perished that day. “We can never let the passage of time make us forget the enormity of that day’s losses, and the painful personal toll it took for so many families and friends,” he says. “Our town unites to honor the victims and tell their families that they will never grieve alone.”

Deputy Mayor Menashe Miller relates that the attacks were the catalyst for him joining the U.S. Air Force as a Chaplain, through which he has inspired and supported troops on missions around the globe. “On this day, we reflect to remember the victims, while appreciating the special freedoms we enjoy in the United States, as well as the service and sacrifices of our nation’s armed forces,” he says. “May God continue giving us His ultimate protection.”