The 2,977 lives that were lost in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania were remembered and honored at an emotional ceremony at Vista Verde Memorial Park in Rio Rancho on the 23rd anniversary of the attacks.
Dozens of people attended the moving ceremony that kicked off with words from New York native JoAnne Kolb, who was a sophomore in high school on the day of the attacks.
“We cannot forget, and we won’t ever forget, the people who lost their lives that day in New York, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania, and all the first responders who continue to suffer and die to this day due to exposure of the toxins in the environment,” Kolb said. “Through the tears and sorrow came what few people see in the New Yorkers who are thought to be cold and insensitive, thousands of people lined up to give blood and help comfort their survivors and clear the rubble. My cousin, who was a captain for the New York City Department of Corrections, spent three months on the pile looking for survivors who unfortunately have never been found.”
Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull got up early on Sept. 10 to help over dozens of volunteers plant an American flag for every life lost in the attacks.
Hull joined a Navy representative in placing flowers at the Purple Heart memorial at the Veterans Monument Park at the 9/11 memorial at Vista Verde earlier on Sept. 11 before giving a speech at the ceremony.
“It is very important to me that we keep the memory of what happened alive. It was really wonderful to see that many people come out together to place these flags. It really speaks to Rio Rancho’s commitment to keeping this memory alive and making sure that we never forget that all these people died on that day,” Hull said. “It also shows us how absolutely fragile our freedoms are. Think about all the things that changed after 9/11 from simply checking a bag at the airport to the screening procedures, everything that changed after that shows you how absolutely fragile our freedoms were.”
The ceremony commemorated the 23rd anniversary of the attacks and reflected on the personal and national impact.
Hull acknowledged the bravery of first responders and military personnel, again emphasizing the importance of remembering their sacrifices.
“They put their lives on the line for our freedoms. They put their lives on the line for the ideals that we believe in here in the United States,” Hull said. “If it was not for our first responders and our American military, we could be still looking at September 11, 2001 in a very different way. I think about our freedoms and how fragile they are and how rocked to the core they were on that September morning, knowing that those individuals rushed in and gave their lives that day to save others. They rushed in to protect our freedoms. They rushed in not not caring about their own lives, but caring about what they believed in, and that was in our freedoms, our safety, our comfort, our beliefs, our dreams. They rushed in realizing that these are the things that make us Americans. These are the things that make us great.”
With a giant American flag lifted by two Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue trucks, RRFR Chief James DeFillippo gave a speech and led the Striking of the Four Fives, a longstanding tradition in fire departments, as a tribute to the firefighters who died on 9/11.
“I’m lucky to be a firefighter, and I thank every firefighter that paid the ultimate sacrifice that came before me to pave the road so that I have an opportunity to continue to uphold this profession in the manner in which they have paid that ultimate sacrifice,” DeFillippo said. “Rio Rancho Fire Rescue means a whole heck of a lot to me as does the ability to serve our community. When I look at the firefighters who sacrificed themselves that day, unknowingly waking up that morning, not knowing that they weren’t going home to their family, it is truly heroic.”