NEVER FORGOTTEN
Santa Fe marks a solemn milestone
Time and distance didn’t diminish the deep sense of loss and gratitude for the first responders who gave their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
A crowd that looked solemn and reflective gathered Saturday on the Santa Fe Plaza to pay tribute to the 343 firefighters who died trying to rescue people trapped in the World Trade Center after terrorists crashed two hijacked planes into the twin towers.
The city fire department put on its yearly ceremony to honor the firefighters who rushed into the crumbling inferno and never came out.
And this year’s commemoration was more salient because it marked the 20th anniversary of 9/11, a coordinated terrorist attack that shook America to its foundation and made the world feel less safe.
The anniversary also coincides with America withdrawing from Afghanistan and ending a war it launched against a terrorist network there because of 9/11. And while politicians and others at the national level hotly debate whether the previous two decades in this Mideast war zone were a waste of life and resources, the Santa Fe ceremony — and others like it — brought together people across political lines to mourn a great loss.
City leaders and a congresswoman stood beside fire officials in dress blues, while 10 firefighters wearing protective gear went up and over a three-step platform for one hour and 42 minutes, the time it took for the north tower to collapse.
To punctuate the ceremony, a bell sounded in four sets of five rings, the combination signaling firefighters who have died in the line of duty.
“It is with deep regret that we
announce the deaths of these faithful servants who we gather here today to memorialize,” said Josh Mihelcic, a fire battalion chief, after the ringing ended.
Assistant Fire Chief Brian Moya and Santa Fe police Chief Andrew Padilla read a detailed timeline of the al-Qaida terrorists hijacking four planes, the confused response by aviation officials in the face of the unprecedented crisis and the sites where the planes crashed — the twin towers, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field.
An empty table was set up to signify those who died in the towers. And a kilted bagpiper played a rueful, haunting rendition of “Amazing Grace.”
A procession of fire engines and trucks drove past the Plaza just before the ceremony started. Moya said it was done partly to replace the canceled pet parade.
The commemoration took place at the bandstand amid the assortment of tarp-covered vending booths that were set up for recent festivals, including this weekend’s Fiesta de Santa Fe.
It all seemed far removed from New York City’s Manhattan, 2,000 miles away, where the towers were leveled. But it touched deep emotions nonetheless.
U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández said she found the ceremony moving.
“Remembering this should always bring tears to our heart,” Leger Fernández said. “It is a transformative moment in American history, but remembering like this remembers the goodness and the care and the dedication … exemplified by our first responders.”
City Councilor Jamie Cassutt said this was a way to not only mourn the 9/11 firefighters but to recognize the risks that local firefighters face.
“It’s a reminder to us how often our first responders put their lives on the line,” Cassutt said.
A couple visiting from Virginia said the ceremony brought back memories of that momentous day 20 years ago.
Ann Willms, 59, said seeing the Santa Fe community come together to honor the fallen firefighters was powerful. It drove home how selfless they were to sacrifice their lives trying to save others, she said.
“The greatest love is to lay down one’s life for one’s fellow human beings, and that’s what they did,” she said. “It’s duty, but it’s deeper.”
Christopher Willms said it was the first 9/11 memorial he had attended.
“It’s very emotional,” he said. “Knowing exactly where we were when it happened and being in disbelief when it happened. And feeling that we truly were under attack at that time. It changed everything in our lives. It changed the United States.”
Rikki Valentine, 26, a wildland firefighter with the city, said she was too young to remember the terrorist attacks but feels a bond with the firefighters who perished. The loss feels more intense and personal as she gets older, she said.
“It’s devastating, and every year it seems to get harder and harder, just to know we lost 343 firefighters,” Valentine said.
She has a tattoo of the twin towers on her back as a tribute, she said.
One Santa Fe resident recalled the attacks were announced during her high school history class in Connecticut.
As teens, they didn’t appreciate the profound, new history unfolding that day, Courtney Ieronimo, 36, said.
“I don’t think anyone at that time was fully grasping what was happening,” she said. “I think a couple people thought it was a really bad joke at first.”
Of course, the significance grew clearer over time as she saw the impacts, she said.
Also on Saturday, 17 Santa Fe County firefighters took part in an annual stair climb in Denver that pays homage to the 9/11 first responders ascending the twin towers.
Exactly 343 firefighters participate to match the number of those who died. This year, firefighters from 13 states lugged 75 pounds of protective gear twice up 55 floors — to equal the 110-story towers — in 94-degree heat.
“It’s extremely strenuous,” county firefighter Mike Judge said. “It’s extremely hot on the stairwell. You’re thinking of those guys on that day. They were going up and then they had to go to work. They were getting ready to fight fire.”
Judge said the ID tags of the deceased New York City firefighters are attached to the wall.
Each participant grabs a badge, researches that person’s life and then contacts the bereaved family members to tell them about the event honoring their loved one, he said.
“It’s putting ourselves into the shoes of those firefighters that made the ultimate sacrifice for their community on that day,” said Santa Fe County Fire Chief Jackie Lindsey.
“It’s really meant to ensure we never forget and that we inspire those that are coming behind us as young firefighters to continue doing the service to the community,” she added.