Posted on 09/12/2004 7:48:34 AM PDT by SandRat
SIERRA VISTA - A color guard of city fire and police personnel tended a U.S. flag that flew from Sept. 2 to Sept. 11, 2003, at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, during Saturday's 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Sierra Vista Fire Station No. 2.
Col. Michael W. Boardman, director of Intelligence for the Combined Joint Task Force in Bagram, Afghanistan, returned to Sierra Vista with the flag used in Saturday's ceremony. Boardman is a former Fort Huachuca garrison commander.
Sierra Vista firefighter and paramedic Bob Fields began the ceremony by asking people to remember when they first found out about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"I ask you these questions not so you can dwell, rather, I ask them so that you never forget," Fields said.
He asked those in attendance to not forget the sacrifice of 343 firefighters, of the total 417 uniformed personnel, killed in the rescue effort.
"They entered the towers without fear," Sierra Vista police Capt. Tom Alinen said. "We held our breaths and prayed that the buildings would hold.
"Through their actions, thousands were saved that day," he said. "We call them heroes, but they'll never hear that word."
The World Trade Center rescue effort that day was the largest fire rescue in American history, Sierra Vista fire Capt. Ron York said.
As he watched the first tower burn, York said the firefighter part of his heart agonized over the tremendous effort New York rescue personnel were undertaking. The old engineer in his heart marveled at the staggering logistics of the task, even for the largest fire department in the world, York said.
When the second tower fell, he said the tears just came.
"I cried because I knew that we had just lost so many firefighters," he said.
Two bagpipers, Sierra Vista police officer Oscar Bojorquez and Sierra Vistan Peter Criscuolo, played "Amazing Grace," and retired Fry Fire Engineer, Chaplain Jim Cretens, gave a prayer.
After the attacks, the world changed in many ways.
"We face the day with an awareness that we are at war," Fry Fire Chief Hubert Jackson said.
| Firefighters and law enforcement officers salute Saturday morning at Sierra Vista Fire Station No. 2 in remembrance of the lives sacrificed during the rescue effort following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. (Suzanne Cronn-Herald/Review) |
Respect and Honor Stories continue.
We Remember!
Heros
My local church sounded it's bells 4 times yesterday. I cried every time. The people of MA where I live are NOT represented by Kennedy and Kerry and Barney Frank and that other waste, Markey.
We lost 200+ of our own that day. Several in the towns around here. God Bless President Bush for taking the fight to them. Kerry would have probably had his minion Edwards sue them.
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