Chestnut Branch Park’s Place of Reflection contains artifacts from the 9/11 attacks, including a broken I-beam from the World Trade Center.
Mantua’s Place of Reflection at Chestnut Branch Park will be the setting for the county’s annual Patriot Day Ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 11.
The event will start just before 8:46 a.m., when the first of four planes hijacked by terrorists hit the north tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11. Patriot Day will honor the close to 3,000 Americans who lost their lives that day.
Three of those victims were Gloucester County residents: Perry Thompson of Williamstown, 36; 21-year-old Nicholas Brandemarti of West Deptford; and 39-year-old John Rodak of Mantua. Each of them has a memorial plaque at the park’s Place of Reflection.
“As a Mantua community, this program is very near and dear to our hearts,” said Mayor Robert Zimmerman. “It’s an opportunity for us to personally reflect on the devastating loss of resident John Rodak, and to continually support our very good friends, Joyce Rodak, John’s widow, and his daughters, Devon Lovell and Chelsea Primavera.
“John will always be our hometown patriot, and the Rodaks will always be a huge part of our Mantua family. We vow to never forget and to keep John’s legacy alive.”
Police officers and firefighters will be in attendance at the ceremony – including delegates from nearby towns and the county – and there will be speeches. The Clearview High School band and vocal ensemble will perform.
The Place of Reflection has a broken I-beam from the Trade Center, among thousands of relics that have gone to towns in all 50 states and around the world to stand as 9/11 memorials. Nearby is a bell that will be rung four times to represent the planes that hit the Trade Center and the Pentagon, and one that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers overtook control of the plane from hijackers.
The bell is only used during the Patriot Day event and is rung by family members of Thompson, Rodak and Brandemarti and first responders.
“The program coincides with the horrific turn of events that took place on 9/11 and is about a half hour in length,” said Zimmerman. “We welcome everyone and encourage our residents to join us. By gathering as a community, we not only honor the past, but we also show continued strength and commitment to the Rodaks and each other.”
