Firefighters gathered for a special Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony in Dutchess County to honor the lives lost in the attacks, and the thousands who have died over the years from the toxic dust at ground zero.

In a sea of flags stood a special tribute to Dennis Gilhooly. He died last November at the age of 68 from 9/11-related cancer during his time with the FDNY, when he was among the many who worked at ground zero.

"He was our hometown hero. He was one of those quiet men who, you just listened when he said something, because if he was going to say something, it meant something," says Evelyn Seipp, with the Stanford Fire Department.

Siepp and other department volunteers honored their former member and the nearly 3,000 lives lost on Sept. 11 by making a hillside memorial outside of Stanford Town Hall. It included a replication of the Twin Towers with 2,978 flags -- one for each person who died.

The memorial will be in place until Sept. 19.