ATHOL — The skies over Athol last Friday were not as bright and blue as they had been exactly 19 years before, but the scenes that flashed across television screens around the globe that morning of Sept. 11, 2001 remain crystal clear in the memories of those who watched the unfolding of an American tragedy. As the workday was just getting under way along the eastern seaboard, nearly 3,000 souls perished as four hijacked passenger liners crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in our nation’s capital, and a field in Shanksville, Penn.
Many of those Athol residents and first responders who recall the terrorist attack as if it were yesterday, and some who are only aware of the incident because of what they have learned in school or been told been told by their parents or grandparents, gathered at the Athol Fire Station to remember those who perished.
Said Fire Dept. Chaplain Dan Parson in his opening prayer, “The images remain fresh in our minds of the great hope and determination of the first responders who worked days and nights, for months on end, in the recovery of brothers and sisters, moms and dads, friends and strangers. Theirs was a sacrifice that knew no races, that knew no gender, that knew no age, that knew no difference between poverty and affluence. It serves today as the definition of your great love for us.
“Like the heroes of Sept. 11, 2001, let us teach our children to learn and to think, to consider and to reason, to be courageous in thought and deed, and to nurture hearts of wisdom that they may battle against hatred, fear and bigotry. And may we live to see the day when we once again stand united as a nation.”
Fire Chief Joseph Guarnera provided a history of the events of that morning, recalling how the first indication of a terrorist attack on the United State occurred at 8:45 a.m., when one of the hijacked jetliners crashed into the 80th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The attack would be repeated at 9:03 a.m., when another airliner packed with passengers was piloted into the 60th floor of the South Tower.
Less than 45 minutes later, another hijacked plane slammed into the west side of the Pentagon. Aboard another airliner, passengers managed to overwhelm its four hijackers, crashing the aircraft into a field near Shanksville, Penn. at around 10:10 a.m. It’s believed that plane was headed to another target in the nation’s capital.
Guarnera noted that among the 2,763 people who perished in the World Trade Center attacks were 343 New York City firefighters and 60 members of the New York Police Department.
The raising of the American flag and the sounding of the bell, as well as prayers from Selectboard member Stephen Raymond, Police Chief Craig Lundgren and Deputy Fire Chief Jeffrey Parker followed Guarnera’s recounting of the events of Sept. 11.
Firefighter Chad Girard then introduced his son, Logan, who is a member of Project 351. One eighth-grader from each city and town in the commonwealth is represented in the community service organization. Logan, who is also a member of the Athol Fire Explorers program, created a stone garden beneath the department’s bell and flag as a tribute to those first responders who perished on 9/11, as well as those who serve today.
Prior to Chief Guarnera’s closing remarks and the closing prayer from Chaplain Parsons, call firefighter Todd Bowdridge played an offering on the bag pipes.