City officials and community leaders commemorated the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks in the atrium of Phoenix City Hall Tuesday morning. The event was dedicated to those who lost their lives during the tragic attacks as well as the victims of its aftermath.
“What’s most important for today, for this event, is to memorialize and remember our heroes who ran into the danger, the smoke, and the fire to save people they did not know, and people who would never know their names,” Phoenix Police Chaplain Robert Fesmire said.
Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams spoke about a nation still reeling from the terrorist attack and its reverberations.
“After all these years, hundreds of additional first responders and civilians, many of whom were involved in the search and rescue recovery at ground zero, have died due to illnesses they contracted from toxic conditions,” Williams said. “Recent reports suggest that by the end of this year more people will have died from 9/11 related illnesses than were killed on that tragic day.”
The event also focused in on the first responders who acted in the crisis, especially those who lost their lives. A special firefighter bell ceremony, in which a symbolic bell was rung four times, honored the firefighters and those who were lost. To recognize the police officers, a pipe major played “Amazing Grace.”
While the events of 9/11 substantially affected many people, its impact on first responders is a weight they carry perpetually on the job. Daniel Valenzuela, a Phoenix mayoral candidate and firefighter, was also in attendance.
“If you talk to any first responder, they will tell you that that day is a turning point. This day is a very special day for us, but this is something that sticks with us every time we get on a fire truck, or every time we patrol our neighborhood in a police car,” Valenzuela said. “It’s just one of those days that has changed us forever.”
The somber ceremony was punctuated by hope. Councilman Michael Nowakowski spoke on how the country came together after the attacks, how the people worked together and prayed for the victims in New York. He said America had become “a country that loves one another. During 9/11, everyone was color blind. It didn’t matter if you were African-American, if you were Anglo, if you were Hispanic, if you were Native American, Asian.”
“We all were Americans sticking together to figure it out.”
Contact the reporter at tlhill9@asu.edu.
