‘When the world stopped turning’

At 8:46 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001 hijackers on American Airlines Flight 11 crashed a plane into the World Trade Center, killing all on board and hundreds inside the building. That attack led by al Qaeda terrorists initiated a chain of events that led to the deaths of 2,977 people within a span of 102 minutes. George Lee American Legion Post 532 did their part to ensure that day and those lives lost are never forgotten.

On Friday, the post commemorated the 19th anniversary of 9/11 with a service at the Hayesville Veterans Memorial Park. The event was marked by presentation of the colors and laying of wreaths representing each of the attacks and first responders. Past commander Rondall Brown, who served in the Navy from 1988 to 2014, recalled learning about the terrorists attacks. “It’s been 19 years since that attack on Sept. 11, 2001, yet in my memory it’s just like yesterday,” he said. “The stench continues to be etched into my mind along with the faces of the first responders and the grief-stricken families. No one was expecting that beautiful morning to hear such shocking news.”

At the time, Brown was a chaplain assigned to the Coast Guard Air Station, Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Brown recalled that on Sept. 11, he was drinking his second cup of coffee in a meeting with military and civilian personnel when the executive officer received a phone call. The officer stepped into the passageway, then came back and told them the meeting was over. Civilian personnel were told to leave the base and military personnel to return to their post to await orders. “That day, our world changed. Especially for me and other military personnel. Some 2,753 people died in the attacks on the Trade Centers, more at the Pentagon, more in the field in Pennsylvania.”

In the aftermath of 9/11, Brown and fellow chaplains were assigned to New York City. He worked with fire and police departments, among others. “I see faces of those who worked tirelessly on the piles and the surrounding buildings, digging through the rubble looking for body parts. And I see the faces of those helping survivors as they related their stories to me,” Brown recalled. “I see that cloud of thick dust as people emerged from that — as people tried to help them — as a police officer broke down in tears in New York and said, ‘I did all I could,’” he continued.

Brown was also assigned the emotional task of helping take care of families of the deceased. The families were transported to the site by ferry boats. He accompanied them to Ground Zero where they witnessed the post 9/11 carnage first-hand. Brown said when they saw the “piles” for the first time, they realized there were no survivors. “The devastation of the buildings and the towers — that was vast. The pain and suffering of family members and workers was even greater — it was enormous,” he said. “Today, we remember them,” he concluded. “Today we remember their sacrifice, we remember their families, their loved ones. Today we remember.” Brown’s service to his nation didn’t end there. He was later assigned to the Second Marine Aircraft Wing. Brown was deployed to Iraq. Ten years later he was deployed to Afghanistan on the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11.

Another moving segment of the program involved the laying of wreaths at the memorial. First Commander Mitchell Shields explained what each wreath represented: First wreath: 8:46 a.m. In remembrance of American Airline Flight 11: 92 passengers and crew hit north tower of the World Trade Center. Second wreath: 9.02 a.m. Flight 175 with 65 passengers and crew, hits south tower. Third wreath: 9:37 a.m. American Airlines 77 with 64 passengers and crew hit the Pentagon killing all on board and 125 military and civilian personnel at the Pentagon. Fourth wreath: 10:03 a.m. United Airline Flight 93 with 33 passengers and crew crashed in a Pennsylvania cornfield as passengers attempted to retake control of the aircraft. Fifth wreath: In remembrance of all first responders who gave their all while responding to the events on 9/11 and all the fallen heroes in the war on terrorism and their families. At the World Trade Center, 2,763 died after the two planes slammed into the twin towers.

The deceased included 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 New York City police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers who were evacuating the buildings to save the office workers trapped on higher floors, according to: wwwhistory.com. A memorial, “Reflecting Absence,” was built in the footprint of the original Twin Towers. The names of all 2,983 victims are etched into 152 bronze panels surrounding the pools, arranged by where individuals were on the day of the attacks.