At the hour that the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center 22 years ago, hundreds of people gathered Monday in the Dayton area to remember those who died in New York City, at the Pentagon and in rural Pennsylvania as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“Let us never forget those that were innocent. Let us never forget those that never had a chance,” Beavercreek Mayor Bob Stone said from a memorial built on North Fairfield Road. “Let us never forget those who entered the inferno to rescue innocent civilians. Let us never forget, but always remember.”
The ceremony included laying of wreaths and flowers, playing taps, and a flyover of four planes.
In Miamisburg, emergency responders from the area and Miamisburg High School students walked the stairs at the school’s football field to commemorate the tragic event and help students gain some understanding of what occurred that day. More than 200 people climbed the stairs during the 20-minute period.
Miamisburg teacher Katie Lay said she will never forget that day 22 years ago.
“It’s difficult to put those feelings into words,” Lay said on why she participated on Monday. “I’m married to a first responder and I know if something like that happen here, he would be one of the first in and we be would willing to make that sacrifice. This event is something to show our support for those first responders and the people who lost their loved ones in that horrific event.”
Pastor Jason Wing of University Baptist Church in Beavercreek asked those present at the Beavercreek event to remember that the events of that day represent three things: the reality of evil, the sacrifice of heroes, and the importance of our choices.
“Just as we see a world where evil is real, we also see a world where heroes are real,” Wing said.
Sameep Singh, who attended the ceremony, said he remembers where he was on Sept. 11, 2001. His uncle, a professor at Wright State University, had called him, and said not to leave his apartment near the Fairborn campus.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Singh is a member of the Sikh Society of Dayton, and said “everything changed,” for Americans of the Sikh religion in the wake of 9/11. In the Sikh tradition, men wear turbans as a symbol of their faith. In the aftermath of 9/11, many people mistakenly associated the Sikh turban with Osama Bin Laden and those worn by Middle-Eastern terrorists, culminating in the murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh man, four days after the the terrorist attacks.
“As a Sikh, we pray every day for the good being of all mankind. And it’s our duty now to remember, especially this day, all those who lost their lives and the loved ones who are still grieving, and pay our respects to them,” he said.
Singh said that memorial ceremonies, like the Beavercreek event, reminds us that “we as a country united at that time, and we need to stay united, to show our respect and strength.”
“We need to come together on this day, and honor those who lost the lives as well, remember that, and make sure in future this doesn’t happen,” he said.
At the National Veterans Cemetery in Dayton on Monday, volunteers spent time during the day cleaning gravesites.
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