PEF union honors members killed in 9/11 attacks

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- It's been 23 years since the terrorist attacks against the country on September 11, 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four airplanes and crashed two of them into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center in Manhattan and a third into the Pentagon. A fourth plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after the passengers tried to regain control of the aircraft.

Almost 3,000 people were killed. More than 6,000 others were injured. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 120,000 people are enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program, which provides medical monitoring and treatment to those who were sickened while responding to the attacks.

As of now, people who responded to the attack at the Pentagon and the plane crash in Shanksville, Pa., are eligible for the program.

Several local communities and organizations held remembrance ceremonies on Wednesday. The New York State Public Employees Federation, the union representing many state workers, held a moment of silence at their outdoor memorial.

Thirty-four of their members were killed in the attacks. The names of all of the victims were read during the ceremony. The victims worked in the Department of Tax and Finance in New York City. Employees who worked in Albany said they still feel the pain of the loss.

"We all felt, as a family, the loss," PEF Exec. Dir. Todd Kerner said. "Not just PEF members but people we personally knew."

Union leaders said it is important to continue to remember what happened on 9/11, especially now that there is an entire generation of people who were born after the attacks.