Wednesday September, 11 2024

Nature: Indian River Hosts 9/11 Memorial

Location: Main Station – Oak Orchard

Chief Emeritus Steven Hawkins of the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company coordinated the 9/11 Memorial activity at our Main Station in Oak Orchard and offered the following commentary. 

“…On September 11, 2001, a group of foreign terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners and proceeded to crash them in an attempt to destroy the United States of America.  Two of these planes intentionally targeted the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, one targeted the Pentagon and the final plane being diverted from its destination by a group of passengers causing it to nose dive into a field in western Pennsylvania.  The eventual collapse of the Twin Towers claimed the lives of thousands as well as lives of 343 bravest Firefighters of the FDNY.  The telegraph signal in the FDNY alarm system of 5555 signifies the last alarm of a firefighter as they go the big fire house in the sky.  This ceremony is commemorated to our brothers that lost their lives that day attempting to save the occupants of those famous office towers.  The batter cry of “NEVER FORGET” holds true to this day some 23 years later.  Therefore, we salute our brothers by sounding that alarm every year in their honor, lest we “NEVER FORGET…” 

As the 23rd Anniversary commemoration ceremonies take place all over our country, we observe six moments of silence, acknowledging when each of the World Trade Center towers was struck and fell and the times of the attack on the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93.