Like any ordinary day in Rockaway Beach before Sept. 11, American flags are flying outside every home on Beach 93rd Street.
The sun, the sound of ocean waves mixing with the rumble of the A train running on the nearby El – it’s an early autumn scene that has been endlessly repeated in the neighborhood for the last 60 years.
The only difference is the new makeshift shrines for the many firefighters who called this sliver of land along the Atlantic their home.
A handful of votive candles and a smattering of flowers are on Steve Belson’s front steps on Holland Avenue. The objects are blocking his door – but that isn’t a problem. No one has seen Belson in more than a week and no one really expects to see him again.
Down the block, Rogers Irish House is filled with old men drinking shots and beer, listening to Kate Smith sing “God Bless America.”
This is Rockaway today – where the faraway Twin Towers can no longer be seen from the bay, and at least 75 locals are missing because of the demolition of those buildings by madmen.
Another neighbor from Beach 93rd Street, Fire Capt. Walter Hynes of Ladder 13 in Manhattan, thankfully has been located. He was found dead in the rubble and was buried by his family yesterday.
After days of unspeakable agony, some members of his extended family gathered for a backyard cookout on Sunday.
As the smell of hot dogs and hamburgers came wafting down the street, the quiet gathering was pierced by one family member’s familiar booming laugh.
It was said it was the best sound anyone in the neighborhood had heard all week.