Smithtown Residents Changed, Shaped By Sept. 11

It's now 12 years after the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attacks, yet the events of that day continue to impact Long Islanders every day. 

For some Smithtown residents, the impact is directly felt in the loss of a beloved husband, family member or friend. Others say the 9/11 attacks directly changed their way of thinking: their outlook on life, their way of living and even a longer lasting impact on their generation. 

There will be time for reflection tonight at the St. James Fire Department's annual candlelight ceremony at 7 p.m. at the fire station off Woodlawn and Jefferson Avenues.  

Here are a few of the many stories Smithtown residents have shared with us on Patch: 

• Nesconset resident Judi Simmons and her family's life was forever changed after losing her husband, Marty, a New York City firefighter to illness that developed years after the 9/11 attacks. 
  
  
• A Saint James firefighter remembers Capt. Doug Oelschlager, who was killed in the Sept. 11 attacks. His name appears on several of the local fire trucks. 
  
  
• Nesconset resident John Feal, a 9/11 First Responder, explains how his life was changed after being injured working at Ground Zero and starting the Feal Good Foundation to help others after the attacks. 
  
  
• Suffolk County Legis. John Kennedy, R-Nesconset, explains how his life and viewpoints have been forever changed by the events of 9/11. 
  
  
• Smithtown residents take a moment to quickly tell us how the Sept. 11 attacks have changed their lives: becoming more vigilant, living in the moment and no longer taking freedoms for granted. 
  
  
• Three Smithtown area residents, who were  middle school students at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks, share their recollections of the day and thoughts on how it's changed life for their generation.