HERMISTON, Ore.-Community members turned out for a remembrance ceremony in downtown Hermiston on September 11 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“Tonight is a time of solemn remembrance,” said Umatilla County Commissioner Dan Dorran, in opening the ceremony. “Speakers tonight will remind us what 9/11 really meant. As a community we gather to remember, and independently we remember what we were doing, where we were, and why we were doing the things we were at those times.”
American Legion Post 37 presented the colors, and law enforcement personnel from around the region attended the ceremony alongside the Hermiston community.
The 9/11 Educational Experience, with panels depicting the events of that fateful day and honoring the memories of those who lost their lives was on display at the ceremony.
Attendees of the remembrance ceremony enjoyed dinner and Inland Northwest Musicians played patriotic music.
Mark Wiggins with American Legion Post 37 was in the Army on active duty in Alaska on 9/11 and recounted watching live as the second plane hit the World Trade Center.
For Wiggins, whose cousin was killed in the second World Trade Center Tower, the legacy of service is one of the things that stands out about 9/11.
“Service is part of the long shadow of that day,” said Wiggins, reminding everyone that 7,073 service members died in the War on Terror following 9/11. “Never forget is not just a phrase but a responsibility we share and pass on.”
Retired Umatilla County Fire District #1 Chief Pat Hart also lost a family member on 9/11 when his brother-in-law was killed at the Pentagon.
For Hart, the unity in the aftermath of the tragedy of 9/11 is what stands out.
“We were attacked by an enemy full of hate, but Americans responded with love and compassion, putting their lives in danger so others could live,” said Hart. “We stood as one, forgetting our differences. Let us return to that compassion. Let us put aside our differences and be united as Americans once again.”
Retired Oregon State Senator Bill Hansell recounted the heroic actions of the passengers of United Flight 93 that crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania on 9/11.
The forty passengers overpowered the hijackers on board the flight and prevented the plane from hitting its target, believed to have been the U.S. Capitol or the White House.
All the passengers died in the crash, including 32-year-old Todd Beamer, who rallied his fellow passengers with the now immortal words of, “Let’s Roll” before rushing the cockpit of the airliner.
“Let’s Roll captures so much of what we are as a nation and what we did in the aftermath of 9/11,” said Hansell. “We don’t pretend it didn’t happen, and by remembering we ensure it doesn’t happen again. May we never forget, and may we embrace the let’s roll attitude.”
For those unable to attend the ceremony, the 9/11 Educational Experience, featuring display panels telling the story of 9/11 and honoring the first responders and victims, will be open through September 16 at the Hermiston Community Center.
