At 8 a.m. last Friday, first responders, city workers and community members gathered at the Whitesboro Fire Station where Fire Chief Jeff Patterson led a special remembrance ceremony in honor of the 25th anniversary of 9-11.
“Twenty-five years ago today, our country experienced a day that none of us will ever forget. September 11, 2001 started like any other day. People went to work, children went to school, families went about their daily lives. And then, in a matter of minutes, everything changed,” he said.
Patterson recounted the events of the terrorist attacks that destroyed New York City’s twin towers, highlighting especially the impact on first responders.
“Firefighters, police officers, paramedics, emergency personnel and other first responders did what they had been trained to do and sworn to do,” he said. “They went towards the danger. They climbed the stairs while others were trying to get out; they entered the buildings they knew were unstable, and they searched for people they had never met. They carried the injured, they helped strangers and they continued to do their jobs as the world around them was coming apart.”
That day, 343 firefighters, 23 New York City police officers were among those that made the ultimate sacrifice at the World Trade Center. Also lost that day were members of the Port Authority Police Department and members of other agencies and first responders who answered the call.
Patterson emphasized that, as a new generation of first responders enter the workforce (some in our own community), it was the values these individuals demonstrated – courage, service, sacrifice, commitment to others – that continue to guide first responders today.
“Every time a firefighter gets into a truck, every time a police officer answers a call, every time a paramedic walks into someone’s worst moment, we’re reminded what this profession asks of us. It asks us to put others before ourselves, it asks us to run toward the problem, sometimes it asks us to make the ultimate sacrifice,” Patterson said. “The men and women we honor today didn’t know what was waiting for them when they responded that morning. They simply knew that people needed help.”
Patterson shared with those in attendance that 25 years later, we ought not to remember how those people died, but to honor how they lived. This can be done by remembering their names, remembering their families and remembering the courage they displayed and, most importantly, ensuring future generations understand what happened that fateful day and understand the price that was paid by those who answered the call.
“Twenty-five years later, we still remember,” Patterson said. “And we will never forget.”
Following his presentation, Patterson played an audio recording of the speech President George W. Bush gave to Americans that night. In it, he acknowledged the victims of the terrorist acts and the feelings of disbelief, terrible sadness and anger the nation was experiencing.
“Our country is strong. A great people have been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve,” the President said.
The remembrance ceremony concluded with a moment of silence led by Chief Patterson.
