Weather sponsored by:
Twenty-five years after terrorist attacks changed the course of American history, members of the Monticello community gathered Friday to make sure the sacrifices of that day, and the people who made them, are not forgotten.
The September 11 commemoration brought together students, community members, veterans and first responders for a ceremony honoring the 2,977 people who died in the attacks on September 11, 2001, while paying special tribute to the police officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel and others who ran toward danger as thousands desperately tried to escape it.
For many of the adults in attendance, September 11 remains a vivid memory. For the students listening Friday, however, it is history.
That distinction became one of the central messages of the ceremony.
Speakers challenged the younger generation to understand not only what happened that morning, but also the lessons of service, sacrifice and unity that emerged from one of the darkest days in American history.
LeAnne Burch recalled historian David McCullough's writings about the importance of history and its role in teaching generations what they believe in, what they stand for and what they should be willing to defend.
Those old enough to remember September 11, she said, can often recall exactly where they were when they first heard that an airplane had struck one of the World Trade Center towers in New York.
They remember the initial confusion. They remember watching television as a second plane struck the South Tower and the realization that what was happening was no accident.
They remember the Pentagon being attacked and the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 fighting back against the hijackers before the plane crashed in Pennsylvania.
For members of the military, the attacks carried another realization: The nation was at war.
But as the years pass, fewer people will be able to tell the story from memory.
The students sitting in Friday's audience were not alive when the attacks occurred. Many of their parents may have been children themselves.
That makes preserving the history increasingly important, speakers said.
"History matters," the audience was reminded by Burch.
The ceremony also placed particular emphasis on the nation's first responders, beginning with a number that has become inseparable from September 11 — 343.
343 is the number of New York City firefighters who died responding to the World Trade Center attacks.
But attendees were reminded that 343 represents only a portion of the tremendous loss suffered that day. In all, 2,977 victims were killed in the terrorist attacks, and many more first responders and survivors have died in the years since from illnesses associated with their exposure to the disaster sites.
"I'm not here for me. I'm here for we, and we are here for them," Monticello Fire Chief Eric Chisom said.
Mayor Jason Akers used an extended story of a flock of sheep threatened repeatedly by wolves to illustrate the sacrifices made by those who choose to become protectors.
In the story, members of the flock eventually volunteer to stand between their community and the wolves. They change themselves to become capable of fighting back, enduring injuries and hardships while protecting those below them.
Eventually, the wolves disappear.
But when the protectors return to the flock, they are scarred and changed by what they have experienced. The very sheep they protected no longer recognize them.
The story, Akers explained, reflects a danger faced by first responders and others who spend their lives protecting communities: When the immediate danger disappears, society can forget the people who stood between it and harm.
"That's why we have these events," Akers said.
He urged the students to make sure that does not happen.
One day, Akers told them, responsibility for remembering September 11, and for honoring those who serve, will belong to them.
The police officers, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics and other first responders serving communities today, Akers said, are made of the same spirit of service demonstrated by those who responded to the attacks 25 years ago.
They stand ready to enter dangerous situations, provide medical aid and protect people they may have never met.
"They do it for you," Akers told the students.
He also encouraged young people to see first responders as people they can trust and approach for help rather than fear.
The message was particularly poignant as the nation marked a milestone anniversary of an event that reshaped a generation.
For those who lived through September 11, remembrance can mean recalling a television screen, a classroom, an office or a telephone call from 25 years ago.
For those born afterward, remembrance must be learned.
Friday's ceremony sought to bridge those generations.
The observance concluded with another tradition rooted in the history of the fire service, the ringing of a bell.
Historically, bells were used to signal firefighters throughout their shifts. A final bell signal marked the completion of a firefighter's duty and return to quarters.
On Friday, the bell sounded again, this time in memory of those whose final call came September 11, 2001.
A closing prayer asked for continued protection over law enforcement officers, firefighters, rescue personnel and other first responders "who walk into places others run from."
The prayer also asked that they be given strength when they are weary, joy when they grieve, integrity in difficult circumstances and courage when they are afraid.
A quarter-century after September 11, the ceremony's message was ultimately as much about the future as the past.
Those who remember where they were that Tuesday morning now carry the responsibility of telling the story.
And those too young to remember are becoming responsible for ensuring it is still told.
Remember the lives lost.
Remember the sacrifice.
Remember those who ran toward danger.
And, as Friday's speakers reminded the next generation, never allow indifference to turn history into something forgotten.
