HASTINGS — Twenty-two years have passed since the deadliest terror attacks to ever occur on United States soil. The City of Hastings hosted an emotional ceremony in remembrance of 9/11 that took place at the New Hope Baptist Church on Monday.
The streets around the church were crowded with police vehicles, fire engines and ambulances.
The participating entities included the Hastings Fire and Rescue and HFR Honor Guard, Hastings Police Department, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Hastings Rural Volunteer Fire Department, Juniata Volunteer Fire Department, Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home.
Pastor and chaplain for Hastings Fire and Rescue, Eddie Goff, offered the opening prayer after the presentation of the colors was conducted by the Hastings Fire and Rescue Honor Guard.
“It has been 22 years since 9/11 we that witnessed the attack said we would not forget. So, it is important that we not forget,” Goff said.
There were six readings noting the significant times during the morning of Sept. 11, 2001:
- 8:46 a.m. – American Airlines crashes into floors 93 to 99 of the North World Trade Center – read by Ryan Miller, Hastings Fire and Rescue
- 9:03 a.m. – United Airlines 175 crashes into floors 77 to 85 of the South World Trade Center – read by Sara Mann, Hastings Police
- 9:37 a.m. – American Airlines 77 crashes into the Pentagon – read by Jodi Erickson, Hastings Fire and Rescue
- 9:59 a.m. – The South Tower collapses – read by Caden Krikac
- 10:03 a.m. – United Airlines 93 crashes into a field near Shanksville, Penn. – read by Mike Butler, Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home.
- 10:38 a.m. – The North Tower collapses – read by Sam Margheim, Hastings Rural Volunteer Fire Department.
After each reading, a bell was struck five times by a member of the Hastings Fire and Rescue Honor Guard, its rings echoing through the church’s sanctuary.
It was explained that historically, the toll of a bell summoned members to the station, signaled the beginning of a shift, notified departments of a call for help, and indicated a call was completed and the unit had returned to the station.
Departments also sounded a series of bells when a firefighter died in the line of duty to alert all members that a comrade had made the ultimate sacrifice.
The address was provided by retired Hastings firefighter, Darin Clark, which he tilted, “9/11 Legacy.”
To start, Clark read the poem “We Shall Never Forget,” written by Alan W. Jankowski. It reads in part, “Let the world always remember, that fateful day in September, and the ones who answered duty’s call, should be remembered by us all.”
Clark continued with his address saying, “Since that day, firefighters around the world have vowed to never forget, but what does ‘never forget’ mean?”
“For me,” Clark said, “It is not a phrase to use lightly and not isolated to a single event or individual.” He said that phrase encapsulates the fact that over 3,000 people were killed when those planes were hijacked on that Tuesday morning.
It wasn’t just the firefighters that responded that day, but the thousands who arrived at Ground Zero to help in the search and rescue efforts, many of which now suffer adverse health effects, Clark said.
“They leave behind a legacy of leadership, dedication and professionalism,” said Clark.
While the smoke has long cleared and the memorials have been built, the scars of the event run deep among countless American families, Clark noted.
Clark said if scars are permanent, then so too must be the nation’s efforts to remember the event and the lessons that it leaves behind.
Clark then went into a biography about several of the victims of 9/11. The youngest that was two and a half years old, Christine Lee Hanson was the youngest of the eight children who were killed.
One of the oldest victims was Max J. Beilke, 69, was a retired Army master sergeant who was officially listed as the last American combat solider to leave Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War. He was killed when Flight 77 hit the Pentagon.
One man who anticipated the attacks was Rick Rescorla a private security specialist, who had served in the 1965 Battle of Ia Drang during the Vietnam War.
After the 1993 car bombing of the World Trade Center, Rescorla urged that Morgan Stanley leave the World Trade Center, as he felt the facility was still a target for terrorists who might use a plane in the next attack.
At Rescorla’s insistence, all employees, including senior executives, then practiced emergency evacuations every three months.
During the morning of Sept. 11, Rescorla heard the explosion in the North Tower and ordered the Morgan Stanely employees to evacuate.
After successfully evacuating almost all 2,700 employees, Rescorla was told he needed to evacuate but said, “As soon as I make sure everyone else is out.” He was last seen ascending past the 10th floor, shortly before the South Tower collapsed.
Clark also highlighted Todd Beamer, a passenger on Flight 93, who along with others, attempted to regain control of the aircraft from the hijackers.
Beamer is last heard on the phone saying, “Are you ready? Okay. Let’s roll.”
Flight 93 was only 20 minutes of flying time away from its target in Washington D.C. Upon learning of the crash, Vice President Dick Cheney is reported to have said, “I think an act of heroism just took place on that plane.”
“What is the difference between always remembering and never forgetting,” Clark said, “If we are always remembering the pain and loss, we would never have room to feel love and joy…but to never forget allows us to keep the pain of our history meaningful and important but also keep it in check.”
“We have room in our hearts for celebration and joy and we know that is okay. We will still, never forget,” Clark concluded.
As if it was planned as an example of the duties of first responders, the siren went off during the ceremony and two Hastings Fire and Rescue members left in an ambulance to head to the scene.
Chaplain Goff, before his closing prayer, gestured to the their empty seats and said that first responders will always answer the call, no matter the time or place.
