A new generation of first responders, many not yet born on 9/11, is learning to live the promise of "never forget." Upholding their oath of service, they and others are carrying on a mission to serve just as firefighters and paramedics did that day.
The Fairfax County community paused Thursday, Patriot Day, at ceremonies across the county to reflect
on the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The events, attended by elected officials, members of the county’s fire and rescue and police departments, U.S. veterans, residents and others, highlighted the theme of remembering and honoring those who died.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Chief John Butler spoke during the department’s annual 9/11 ceremony, a tribute to fallen first responders and victims. Held Thursday at Fire Station 25 in Reston, Va., the event was streamed live to all stations across the county.
The departments recognized the 343 firefighters, 60 law enforcement officers and emergency medical services personnel who died on 9/11, along with the 246 passengers, 184 victims at the Pentagon and 2,136 victims at the World Trade Center.
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy draped a large U.S. flag over its rescue building for the ceremony.
Deputy Chief Brian Edmonston said the attacks' legacy is a call to action. "It is more than a remembrance," he said. "It's a call to live our values, courage, strength and service every time we put on the uniform."
At the annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony in Great Falls, the keynote speaker was retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Marc H. Sasseville. In 2001, Sasseville was a lieutenant colonel with the D.C. Air National Guard and was one of four pilots given a mission to find and destroy United Airlines Flight 93.
Sasseville and pilot Heather R. Penney, then a first lieutenant, embarked on what could be a suicide mission. They would launch their F-16s without missiles, prepared to ram their jets into the aircraft to bring it down. Sasseville would hit the cockpit, and Penney would ram the tail to unbalance the plane, causing it to tip and crash.
The pilots never completed their mission. Before taking off, they learned that United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew on board stormed the cockpit to fight the hijackers. Having learned of the other 9/11 attacks, the passengers acted to prevent the plane from reaching its likely target in Washington, D.C.
The ceremony, held at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial, honored the six Great Falls residents who died when Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, along with all others who lost their lives in the attacks. The Great Falls community paid tribute to retired Marine 1st Lt. Richard P. Gabriel, Ann C. Judge, Barbara K. Olson, Lisa J. Raines, Diane M. Simmons and George W. Simmons.
In a solemn 9/11 ceremony on the Town of Vienna's Freeman Store lawn, U.S. veterans from American Legion Post 180 and others paused Thursday to remember the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. They honored first responders and those who died in the wars that followed. The community event featured remarks from former fire chief Jim Morris, Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert and Post 180 Commander Dave Wallace. The ceremony included live music and the ringing of Vienna Presbyterian Church bells at the exact times of each plane’s impact, a reminder to "Never Forget."
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said in a statement, "I'm praying for the loved ones of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania, and all those who lost their lives in the wars in Afghanistan that followed. Now and always, our veterans and thousands of first responders, service members and others who bravely risked their lives to save fellow Americans and complete dangerous remediation work after the attack deserve our support."
U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., also released a statement, saying, "Today we pause in remembrance of the thousands of lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001. To the families and communities still grieving their loved ones, no matter how many years pass, we will never forget your loss."