9/11 20th anniversary remembrance held at Wyandotte VFW

 

By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers

WYANDOTTE – As flags were lowered, wreaths laid and bagpiper Steve Thomson solemnly played at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1136, Downriver residents remembered the lives lost on 9/11 20 years ago.

VFW Post 1136 Commander Brian Martin said that 20 years later, when we remember that day, the emotions he felt then come rushing back.

“On Sept. 11, 2001, a day much like today, 2,996 people lost their lives as a result of the most heinous act of terrorism on American soil in American history,” he said. “Of the 2,996 victims killed on that horrific day, 412 were first responders and emergency workers responding to the initial crash and explosion.”

Martin said nearly 3,500 people have died since that day as a result of the chemicals to which they were exposed during the attack on the twin towers, and more than 7,000 service members have died since 9/11 during military operations.

“A more disturbing number is that 30,177 active duty and veterans that have committed suicide since 9/11,”he said.

Martin said 9/11 is a day in American history that will never be forgotten.

“Lives were taken from loved ones, some gave their lives for others, and the world would never be the same,” he said. “We will never forget those who gave and lost their lives on that tragic day, and we will not let terrorism win.”

Police Chief Brian Zalewski said how we remember that day is marked by our resilient American spirit.

“We recognize on that day, a date which once held no special meaning to us, our country and a generation of Americans were changed in an instant,” he said.

Fire Capt. Mike Brandt said to put the loss of life on 9/11 in a more personal context, he asked those present to imagine if the 343 firefighters who died that day were from the Downriver fire departments.

“I want you to imagine every single firefighter in every single fire department Downriver ceasing to exist in one day,” he said. “That is what happened on that fateful day 20 years ago.”

Brandt said more than 300 firefighters have died from cancer related to 9/11 since the attacks, and others still suffer physically and mentally from post-traumatic stress disorder.

City Councilwoman Kelly Stec said she was in the third grade, in a classroom, when she heard the news about the 9/11 attacks.

“As a child, I remember that day mostly being filled with confusion and sadness and fear at what I saw in the eyes of the adults around me,” she said. “Even as an 8-year-old, you knew that the world would never be the same after this.”

Stec said as she watched the events unfold on television, many Americans sprang into action.

“We remember this day as Patriot Day,” she said. “Each of those that came to serve on that day, and every day since then are true patriots, and they remind us that the cost of freedom is not free.”

Stec said as we reflect on the lives that were lost and how much the world has changed, being a patriot means more than serving in official capacities.

“We thank those and honor those who do, but you can be a patriot each day, working together and building in your community for peace, praying for a stronger world, and respecting and remembering those who have served,” she said. “Fight to protect our veterans, firefighters and police officers, and make sure that they receive the health care that they deserve, the honor that they deserve and the services that they need, and please, work together for peace.”