Fort Hamilton was used as a memorial on Friday as dozens paid their respects to the people who risked their lives during the Sept. 11 attacks.  

Joe Quinn, an army veteran and the keynote speaker, says that on that day he lost a piece of himself.  

“My brother was in the north tower… I still imagine him falling,” said Quinn.  

Quinn lost his brother on that day, just one of the nearly 3,000 lives that were taken. The 9/11 attacks gave a new meaning to the jobs of first responders, and at the military base on Friday, members of the NYPD and FDNY as well as the military joined forces for their annual commemoration observance.  

“We remember the acts of extraordinary courage from the first responders, our citizen soldiers and other federal, state, and city agencies who sprang into action to save lives,” said Lt. Steven W. Gilland, superintendent of the United States Military Academy.  

Many speakers at the ceremony eagerly reminded New Yorkers of the sacrifice and dedication made by those first responders to save the city and its people.