“The world basically changed forever,” said Beavercreek Mayor Don Adams. “It’s a way that we can commemorate and keep it in forefront of people’s minds and actually honor the first responders who did unbelievable things during that time.”
Lisa Cope, who attended Thursday’s memorial, said her husband was one of the first responders who went to New York in the aftermath. Not only is it important to remember those who died, she said, it is also important to remember those first responders who survived but were left forever changed.
“It’s important to not forget,” she said. “And it’s important to remember the people who went. It’s important to remember the lasting effects of it for them, too.”
Beavercreek was joined by area police and firefighters, as well as servicemembers of the United States Air Force. The ceremony was also joined by members of the Sikh Society of Dayton.
“In the Sikh faith, one of our core principles is ‘Sarbat da Bhalla:’ praying and working for the wellbeing of all humanity,” said Sameep Singh. “We remember not only the victims but also the countless acts of courage and selflessness that inspire us to serve humanity.”
The Sikh Society of Dayton has participated in Beavercreek’s 9/11 remembrance ceremony for many years. In the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, many Sikhs were targeted with hate crimes, though Sikhism and Islam are separate religions. Sikh men traditionally wear turbans as an article of faith, and the turban has been commonly — and erroneously — conflated with the Taliban’s style of dress.
“After 9/11, many Sikhs, despite facing discrimination, redoubled their commitment to serve America, because this is our home,” Singh said.
Beavercreek’s 9/11 Memorial, a plaza located off of North Fairfield Road, contains a 23-foot-tall twisted steel beam from the World Trade Center. The beam was located between the 101st and 105th floors of the north tower, and it was dedicated on Sept. 11, 2011.
“If you don’t remember the past, you forget about it, it can happen again, and we want to make sure that we stay vigilant, never forget that and never allow it to happen,” Adams said. “There’s a whole generation...of people that didn’t experience that but have to live with the aftermath of it, and don’t understand what it was like before.”
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