{"id":344545,"date":"2026-09-12T00:58:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T00:58:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/344545\/"},"modified":"2026-09-12T00:58:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T00:58:06","slug":"icymi-governor-hochuls-op-ed-for-the-new-york-post-new-yorkers-must-never-forget-9-11-and-turn-sorrow-into-service-governor-kathy-hochul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/344545\/","title":{"rendered":"ICYMI: Governor Hochul\u2019s Op-Ed for the New York Post: New Yorkers Must \u2018Never Forget\u2019 9\/11 \u2014 and Turn Sorrow Into Service | Governor Kathy Hochul"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, the New York Post published an op-ed by Governor Kathy Hochul ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9\/11 honoring those lost in the horrific tragedy and reminding New Yorkers to never forget the first responders who gave their lives to help others. Text of the op-ed can be viewed online<\/a> and is available below.<\/p>\n

Twenty-five years ago, we made a sacred promise.<\/p>\n

With thick black smoke still billowing across a bright blue September sky, with mangled steel and debris still burning where the Twin Towers had just stood, we vowed to \u201cnever forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

To never forget the lives lost, the families shattered, the heroes who ran into the fire and never came back.<\/p>\n

A quarter-century later, those two words, \u201cnever forget,\u201d still mean something to us.<\/p>\n

They still demand something of us.<\/p>\n

Not just today; not just at the memorial services, vigils and name readings.<\/p>\n

But every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever forget\u201d means fighting for the brave first responders who dug through the rubble at Ground Zero and who continue to suffer and die from 9\/11-related illnesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever forget\u201d means standing up for the police officers who protect our city when their resources are threatened.<\/p>\n

And \u201cnever forget\u201d means refusing to let this solemn anniversary become a source of division among us.<\/p>\n

Because some of the most powerful lessons of 9\/11 can be found in the people who endured unimaginable loss \u2014 and chose not to answer it with anger or despair.<\/p>\n

They turned pain into purpose, and turned sorrow into service.<\/p>\n

On Friday, I\u2019m thinking about Jillian Suarez, who celebrated her ninth birthday on Sept. 9, 2001.<\/p>\n

Two days later her father, Officer Ramon Suarez, lost his life saving others, including a pregnant mother, from the World Trade Center.<\/p>\n

Jillian now serves in the NYPD, just like her dad.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m thinking about Monica Rogan, who was 10 when her father Matthew was killed while evacuating people from a hotel at the World Trade Center site.<\/p>\n

Matthew was a firefighter who dreamed of one day becoming a nurse.<\/p>\n

Today, Monica is living out that dream as an RN.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m thinking about Josephine Smith, who grew up playing with toy fire trucks and planning to one day work alongside her father, Kevin.<\/p>\n

She never got the chance.<\/p>\n

But in 2014, Josephine became the first daughter of a firefighter killed on 9\/11 to join the FDNY.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m thinking about Joseph Vigiano Jr., who was eight years old when he lost both his father and his uncle on 9\/11.<\/p>\n

Just last week, Joseph was promoted to NYPD sergeant, carrying his family\u2019s tradition of service forward.<\/p>\n

I was proud to shake his hand and meet his mom, who is a retired police officer.<\/p>\n

These New Yorkers represent the very best of us.<\/p>\n

They remind us that remembrance is not simply about looking backward.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about deciding what we carry forward.<\/p>\n

For some, that may mean putting on a uniform and protecting their neighbors.<\/p>\n

That calling is especially important today, when so many volunteer fire and EMS companies are struggling to recruit new members.<\/p>\n

But service doesn\u2019t require a badge.<\/p>\n

It can mean mentoring a child who needs someone in their corner, delivering a meal to a homebound senior or volunteering at a house of worship.<\/p>\n

It means giving your time to a cause larger than yourself.<\/p>\n

And no matter our profession, our talents or our politics, we can all stand up for the people who have sacrificed to keep us safe.<\/p>\n

We can demand that first responders and survivors suffering from 9\/11-related illnesses receive the health care and benefits they have earned.<\/p>\n

We can support the men and women who protect us and make sure they have the resources to do their jobs.<\/p>\n

And we can remember that \u201cnever forget\u201d isn\u2019t simply a slogan on a bumper sticker.<\/p>\n

It is a sacred pledge.<\/p>\n

Not just to remember what happened that day \u2014 but to remember the spirit and strength it inspired.<\/p>\n

Today, tomorrow and for the next 25 years, let us find the strength to uphold that pledge.<\/p>\n

Let us refuse to allow hatred, suspicion or division to diminish the spirit New Yorkers showed the world 25 years ago.<\/p>\n

Jillian. Monica. Josephine. Joseph.<\/p>\n

They have spent their lives showing us what \u201cnever forget\u201d can mean.<\/p>\n

We serve.<\/p>\n

We protect one another.<\/p>\n

We care for those who are still suffering.<\/p>\n

And even in moments of profound disagreement, we recognize the ties that bind us together as New Yorkers and as Americans.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how we honor those we lost.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how we keep their memory alive.<\/p>\n

And that is how we never forget.<\/p>\n

Kathy Hochul is the 57th governor of New York State<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Today, the New York Post published an op-ed by Governor Kathy Hochul ahead of the 25th anniversary of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":344546,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[9,11,10],"class_list":["post-344545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=344545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/344546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=344545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=344545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=344545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}