It is a somber ceremony that wraps up a long day of remembrance for the families of those killed on September 11th.
As they have since Staten Island's 9/11 Memorial went up in 2004, hundreds of friends and family of the borough's 274 victims descended on the North Shore waterfront Wednesday in a ritual many said they could never miss.
"It dulls, but it doesn't go away," Staten Island resident Patricia Marschhauser said.
The memorial is called Postcards, named after two wing-like structures pointing straight up to the sky.
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The names and profiles of the victims are etched into the monument, where flowers and mementos are left behind.
A host of elected officials attended the ceremony, pointing out that the crowds have not dwindled despite the passage of time and a grief that knows no expiration date:
"Let us be enveloped by empathy...keeping us strong," Staten Island Borough President James Oddo said during the ceremony.
The names of each of the victims were read.
Ten new names were added to the borough's first responder memorial.
It was built back in 2014, but the city said it didn't have an accurate way to compile the names of those who died of World Trade Center-related illnesses, even though the police and fire departments didn't have a problem doing so. After NY1 began asking questions, the names were added.
Now, the families of those first responders who died of 9/11-related illnesses mark their losses together.
"Every time you tell a story...this day is never ever easy," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at the ceremony.
This year was the first time Denise Coppola attended the ceremony. Her son Thomas, a sanitation worker involved in the cleanup, died of 9/11 cancer three years ago.
"They all gave their life for the same reason. It was the same reason," Denise Coppola said. "The bravery that day was unbelievable."
The memorial offers a clear shot of lower Manhattan and the Tribute in Light.
Its view is at the same spot many came and watched the destruction — a place that now offers them comfort and solace.