Groton

— It was a sunny morning on Thursday, the kind of morning that can inspire a walk or a picnic.

Naval Submarine Base Fire Department Chief Thomas Clapsadle recalled a September morning just like it seven years ago.

”On this day, seven years ago, we could remember exactly where we were,” Clapsadle said. “It was a beautiful day, just like today, not a cloud in the sky.”

Clapsadle and a crowd of firefighters, police officers and emergency responders gathered at the Naval Submarine Base Fire Department Thursday to honor the 403 emergency responders who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

They also remembered the 2,571 others who lost their lives that day.

The group paused twice during the ceremony to remember those who gave their lives - at 9:59 a.m., when the south tower of the World Trade Center fell after it had been on fire for nearly an hour, and 10:29 a.m., when the north tower collapsed.

More than 50 representatives from the Groton Town Police Department, the Submarine Base Fire Department, Ledyard, Gales Ferry, City of Groton, Waterford, and the New London Firefighters Pipe and Drums, bowed their heads.

Capt. Mark Ginda, the base's commanding officer, remembered that he was in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, commanding the USS Pacifica at the time of the disaster. He said it was in the middle of the night when he learned of the news.

”We can't forget those that defended our freedom,” Ginda said.

Submarine Fire Department fireman John Dwire Jr. did the traditional ringing of the bell - four sets of five chimes, representing the end of an emergency and the returning to quarters.

”This is a day to remember,” said Regional Fire Chief Stephan Cox, commander of the Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Emergency Services. “A day of courage for all Americans.”

A.RENCZKOWSKI@THEDAY.COM

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