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… The first, at Cape Harbour, was sponsored by former and current flight attendants. The second, at the Harney Point VFW, was sponsored by former firefighters.
… The early ceremony at Cape Harbour focused not only on first responders but the flight crews of the four commercial flights used in the attacks. White roses were floated into the water behind Rumrunners, one for each flight crew member and passenger that died.
Another unique aspect of the early ceremony was the presence of George E. Smith, a New York City Police Officer and first responder on that fateful day eight years ago. Smith said he stayed at Ground Zero for nine months, "every day," and that in the recovery efforts there wasn't a "body part" he didn't come in contact with while helping to sift through the rubble. The focus of Smith's comments to the crowd collected on the deck of Rumrunner's was the aftermath of 9/11, and how people are still dying from emotional or physical scars.
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According to Smith, 817 people have died in the years following the attack, 33 from suicide, 270 from cancer, and the rest from respiratory illnesses. "No one addresses the aftermath and they should because people are still dying from this," he said. "I believe people are totally unaware of it... we still have people suffering today." ….
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