It’s been 20 years since terrorists from al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airliners, slamming two of those planes into New York City’s World Trade Center and another one into The Pentagon before passengers diverted the fourth plane away from Washington, D.C. and into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
To mark that somber occasion - which resulted in 2,977 fatalities and more than 25,000 injuries - officials from the City of Hattiesburg on Saturday held the city’s annual 9/11 ceremony at Fire Station No. 1 on North Main Street.
“Every year, we gather here to reflect, to remember … and to tell the story, and I must admit that 20 years hit differently,” Mayor Toby Barker said. “As we were making preparations for this morning and I thought about what I might say, I found myself wanting to avoid going back to that day, and wanting to avoid feeling all that again.
“Each passing year, September 11, 2001 becomes more of a historic fact and less of a front-of-mind, traumatic event. If not remembered, it loses its edge. The truth is … we lost something that day, and we saw the course of history changed - not only for our collective nation, but for hundreds of thousands of individuals who would later be called upon to fight.”
During the ceremony, bells tolled to mark the exact time the hijacked airplanes hit the first tower, the second tower and The Pentagon. Those occasions were marked as follows:
- At 8:46 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into floors 93 through 99 of the North Tower. That flight was carrying 87 passengers and crew members.
- At 9:03 a.m., American Airlines Flight 175 crashed into floors 77 through 85 of the South Tower. That flight was carrying 60 passengers and crew members.
- At 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the west side of The Pentagon. That flight was carrying 64, including the hijackers.
“By the numbers, we lost 343 brothers and sisters with the Fire Department of New York, 23 New York Police Department members, 37 with the Port Authority Police Department, and 2,500 additional civilians and first responders,” Hattiesburg Fire Department chief Sherrocko Stewart said. “These fatalities put us at the largest loss of life from a hostile attack by a foreign entity on American soil, and it’s an impact we feel as first responders that never goes away.
“So remember our brothers and sisters who responded that day by paying the ultimate sacrifice. We honor their memories, and we will not forget the heroic individuals and what they gave in an attempt to find hope when none was expected.”
Following the remarks, members of the Hattiesburg Fire Department lowered the American flag to pay tribute to those who lost their lives on 9/11. John Uzodinma then played a violin rendition of the National Anthem.
Alexander Redondo, an engineer with the Hattiesburg Fire Department who was living in New York at the time of the attacks, was the featured speaker at the event. Redondo was a senior in high school when he and his classmates learned of the attacks via the school’s televised news programming.
At first, Redondo thought the TVs were showing a movie, but upon looking out of the window of his top-floor classroom, was able to see the chaos happening live.
“Confusion and disbelief had turned into terror and hopelessness, and if you’ve never experienced hopelessness, let me be the one to tell you - it’s a lonely place,” Redondo said. “I remember thinking to myself that this was it; I was scared, and at that moment I feared for my life.
“As I watched the towers smoke and burn, I remember sirens could be heard outside my school - without hesitation, first responders on and off-duty that morning had dropped what they were doing and were headed to help. (They were) first responders doing what we have all taken that oath to do - to protect and to serve, and to put service before self. I pray that the 343 firefighters that day know that they may rest easy, and that we will take it from here.”
Toward the end of the ceremony, the Allen B. Carter Post 24 of the American Legion presented checks to the benevolent funds of the fire and police departments. Over the years, those funds have totaled $20,000.
“After the grief, sorrow and shock of that day we (Post 24) met that night, and we vowed that we wanted to do something to show our support for the firemen, police, and first responders who gave their life that day,” said Ted Tibett, chairman of the Hattiesburg Veterans Committee. “When we had our first program here in Hattiesburg, we voted unanimously to give $500 to the police benevolent fund and $500 to the firemen’s benevolent fund.
“At the time, we asked other organizations to do the same, and several did. But over the 20-year period, only one organization, year after year, has unanimously voted to give that check, and that’s Allen B. Carter Post 24 of the American Legion.”
The 9/11 ceremony was concluded with the playing of Taps on bugle.
