‘The feeling of fear I had that day’: Taunton honors those lost on 9/11, unveils memorial – Taunton Daily Gazette
TAUNTON — In a somber ceremony under sunny skies, the city honored the memories of those who died in the 9/11 attacks.
The unveiling of a new, granite memorial for Taunton’s Peter A. Gay highlighted this year’s remembrance. The stone monument replaces a concrete one that stood in the same spot.
More than 150 residents, first responders and dignitaries attended Friday’s ceremony in Memorial Park. Taunton Fire flew its enormous American flag, held aloft by the department’s Ladder 3.
“It was a terrible, terrible event,” said City Solicitor David T. Gay, brother of Peter, “but it brought the good people out of the background.”
Peter A. Gay, an executive with defense contractor Raytheon Technologies, was making his weekly commute to California, where he was developing a new plant that would later produce the company’s next generation of Patriot missiles.
He usually took American Airlines Flight 11 to Los Angeles on Mondays, returning to his Tewksbury home on Fridays. But his Monday had been tied up with interviews, so he switched to the Tuesday flight, said his brother.
On Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, Peter boarded American Airlines Flight 11 a little after 8 a.m.
Less than an hour later, Peter and 91 other passengers were the first to be killed in the 9/11 attacks when their plane was crashed into the World Trade Center’s 110-story North Tower.
That was 20 years ago — a generation.
Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell, who organized and emceed the remembrance, said 15 members of the Gay family were in attendance. During the ceremony, she presented a city award to Taunton Police Officer John M. Borges, who died in December 2020 after contracting COVID-19. Borges’ mother, father and sister accepted the award on his behalf.
Among the speakers was Taunton Police Officer Mathieu Clifford. He was in the fourth grade when the terrorists struck. He told the crowd he remembers the fear he experienced that day. He would grow up and join the Marines, where he deployed to Afghanistan.
“The only thing I wanted to do over there was protect Americans from the feeling of fear I had that day,” Clifford said.
More:9/11 in Photos: America pauses to remember, mourn
Music figured prominently in the ceremony. Sgt. Daniel Clark, a retired Statie better known as the “The Singing Trooper” belted out several patriotic and religious songs.
In addition to Taunton’s memorial for Peter A. Gay, the executive’s memory is also chiseled into a granite bench in Onset, where his family spent summers:
In Memory Of
Peter A. Gay
Dec. 16, 1946 Sept. 11, 2001
And its message is visible to those who drive by or who are fortunate enough to have a moment for a peaceful stroll along the scenic route overlooking the bay: “Take Time To Sit By The Sea.”
Send your news tips to reporter Chris Helms by email at CHelms@tauntongazette.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Taunton Daily Gazette.