It was a Tuesday morning that every American over the age of 35 remembers vividly — where they were, what they were doing and who told them to turn on the television because the country had been attacked.
Nearly 3,000 people died as a result of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania, where airplane passengers thwarted hijackers’ plans to crash into the White House, instead ambushing the cockpit and crashing the plane in a Pennsylvania field, killing all 44 people on board.
KEY WEST
Key West, every year on Sept. 11, the Alex Vega Firehouse Museum hosts a remembrance ceremony to honor the men and women who died that day. Scores of firefighters from New York City and other places have joined the Key West firefighters at these ceremonies over the years, and the museum on Grinnell Street houses two memorial pieces of the World Trade Center that collapsed when two hijacked planes slammed into the skyscrapers that Tuesday morning.
Mayor DeeDee Henriquez spoke at this year’s morning ceremony, which included a bill-ringing and moments of silence in recognition of the times the planes hit the buildings — 8:46 a.m for the North Tower and 9:03 a.m. for the South Tower.
MARATHON
The morning of Sept. 11 began with a solemn ceremony as Marathon’s first responders, dignitaries and community members gathered at Marathon Fire Station 14 to honor and remember those who lost their lives and performed feats of extraordinary courage to save others during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
On Friday, Sept. 13 during halftime at Marathon High School’s varsity football game, there will be a community 9/11 remembrance ceremony sponsored by Champions for Change with the Key West Coast Guard color guard. First responders, veterans and locals directly affected by 9/11 are welcome on the field for this event. Please contact christina.belotti@keysschools.com with any questions. Kickoff for the game is set for 7 p.m.
UPPER KEYS
Coral Shores High School students, local firefighters and sheriff’s deputies gather at the courtyard, facing a waving American flag and a sign that reads “Never Forget: Remember Sept. 11, 2001.” Led by teacher Joe Szymanski, a 9/11 remembrance ceremony saw a moment of silence for the nearly 3,000 lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001. It was followed by the pledge of allegiance led by first responders. Szymanski’s leadership classes, with roughly 100 students, also wrote the names of those who perished on a 9/11 remembrance sign that hangs on the school wall. “We wanted to do something in remembrance of 9/11,” Szymanski said. “Ms. Wilmarie Lopez and I got together and we thought it would be cool to make a sign and have kids hand-write the names of the victims on it.”
