Sept. 11 is regarded as a day of remembrance and a time to reflect on the lives lost in the terrorist attacks in 2001, but according to Turners Falls Fire Chief Luke Hartnett, Sept. 12 and the days that followed should be just as actively remembered.
“Forever remember Sept. 11, but also remember Sept. 12 and the unity that we had as a nation,” Hartnett said during a ceremony at the Montague Public Safety Complex on Friday morning. “There was a sense of absolute hollowness to all of us with what had just happened, but a sense of unity in the nation. … There were flags on every flagpole, there were flags in every house, there were ribbons everywhere. It was a very patriotic, very unifying time.”
Later in the morning, the Greenfield Fire Department held its own ceremony, where Chief Robert Strahan likewise spoke on how the nation came together in the aftermath.
The 9/11 terrorist attacks killed 2,977 people. In addition to the collapse of the two towers at the World Trade Center in New York City, American Airlines Flight 77 was hijacked and flown into the west side of the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, when the hijackers deliberately sent the plane into a nosedive after passengers and crew attempted to retake control of the cockpit.
“Twenty-five years ago, a senseless act of terrorism killed 2,977 innocent victims,” Hartnett said, “including 343 firefighters, 72 law enforcement officers, and over 6,000 people were injured that day.”
“When the towers fell, the response did not stop at the borders of New York City. America came to New York,” Strahan said. “Wearing different patches on their shoulders from different cities and different states, they came, because that’s what first responders do.”
Strahan and Hartnett both spoke about how firefighters and other first responders flew to New York to assist in the days that followed, helped dig through rubble, searched the grounds and supported New York agencies. Twenty-five years later, firefighters are still struggling with illnesses and injuries from their efforts.
“It’s hard to believe that it’s been 25 years since Sept. 11, 2001. For many Americans, Sept. 11 is to remember. Where we remember where we were, we remember the images, we remember the shock and the fear and the unbelievable scenes that unfolded that morning,” Strahan said, going on to reference how more than 10,000 firefighters from the New York City Fire Department are living with 9/11-related illnesses. “But for the responders of New York City, they don’t remember Sept. 11. They live it every day.”
In Greenfield and Montague, the remembrance ceremonies included prayer, a moment of silence and flag recognitions.
In Greenfield, the department lowered its flag and, in its place, raised the flag of the New York City Fire Department. In Montague, a flag listing the names of those who died in the attacks was displayed on a fire engine.
“I challenge you to read a name, remember them throughout the day,” Hartnett told those in attendance. “So you never forget as this day goes on, and going until next year, and the following year, so that we never forget.”
Strahan recounted how Sept. 11, 2001, started as a beautiful, sunny day, and on Friday, the fair weather was reminiscent of that sunshine. He said remembering the details of the day and the stories of the people who were lost are essential as the years go on and the attacks get further from people’s memory.
“It is our responsibility to carry their memory forward,” Strahan said. “To care for those who are still suffering and to make sure the sacrifices of Sept. 11 continue to mean something to generations who were not even born when it happened. Twenty-five years later, we must never allow Sept. 11 to become a simple date in the history books.”
