The three attacks occurred 18 years ago.
Frederick, Md (KM). Frederick County residents took time out from their busy day on Wednesday to remember the more than 3,000 Americans who perished during the 9/11 attacks 18 years ago.
A ceremony was held at Frederick City Hall. Despite the passage of time, Mayor Michael O’Connor said “No, we will never forget. Not the innocent lives lost; not the everyday heroes, the first responders who did their job that day and everyday; not the families; and not the physical and emotional challenges that so many continue to meet 18 years since 9/11,”
Terrorists targeted the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in northern Virginia. On that same day, passengers on board a plane overpowered the hijackers, forcing the airplane to crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. All the people on board died. .
Elected officials and representatives from Fort Detrick, local law enforcement and fire and rescue were present for the ceremony at City Hall which featured the singing of the National Anthem and a presentation of the flag by an honor guard.
County Executive Jan Gardner spoke about how Americans united following the attacks. “That day we witnessed our first responders and our citizens come together to take care of each other,” she said. “In the midst of devastation and shock, we came together as a nation, rescuing people in danger and comforting those who mourned.”
Gardner also reminded the audience not to forget the four Frederick County residents who died during the 9/11 attacks. “We continue to pay tribute to Alan Linton, Jr. and Michael Carlo, who perished on that tragic day at the Twin Towers in New York; and William Ruth and Ronald Vauk who died at the Pentagon,” she said. “Our hearts and prayers go out to their families.”
The fact that it’s been 18 years since the 9/11 attacks was not lost anyone during the ceremony, especially Brigadier General Michael Talley, the commander of the US Army Medical Research and Development Command at Fort Detrick. “So we have our first generation of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines that were not born, or they were born the same year that that happened,” he said. “That’s incredible when you think about their commitment to serve their country, understanding the stakes, understanding what the important significance is, and, more importantly, their families.”
Talley says he was attending the Command General Staff College in Leavenworth, Kansas at that time of the attacks, and was sent to Iraq in 2003. “My personal story, combined with millions of others, creates a narratives that should never be forgotten; a narrative that demands we focus on safeguarding the future,” he says.
The ceremony was sponsored by the City of Frederick, Frederick County and Fort Detrick.
By Kevin McManus