Wilmington Fire Department’s 20th anniversary remembrance ceremony of 9/11 brings together dozens of people

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) —Today, many people gathered in front of the Fallen Firefighter’s Memorial at the Wilmington Fire Department’s Fire Station 2 at Empie Park for the 20th anniversary remembrance ceremony of 9/11.

The 20^th anniversary remembrance ceremony of 9/11 was led by interim Wilmington Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief Steve Mason, and had a keynote speech given by president and chief operating officer of Pender Hospital, Ruth Glaser.

In their speeches, both spoke to the importance of the remembrance ceremony, honoring hundreds who lost their lives in the attacks on September 11, 2001.

“For everybody to come here and sit shoulder to shoulder, and in solemn remembrance to those who passed away 20 years ago, I think is incredible, and it’s how we should be every day,” said Steven Mason, Wilmington Deputy Fire Chief.

During the ceremony, the Wilmington Fire Department Honor Guard presented the 9/11 flag, and placed wreaths at the Fallen Firefighters Memorial in front of Fire Station 2, that displays a firefighter holding onto a steel beam from the World Trade Center.

Deputy Fire Chief Mason said he was at the fire station 20 years ago, when he saw the attacks on television, and he still remembers how he felt in that moment.

“When that first tower came down, every one of us came out of our chairs in just –disbelief, because we knew inherently that not only did people die, men, women children, but there was bound to be hundreds of firefighters in that building, and so we instantly knew that we lost a lot of brothers and sisters that morning,” said Deputy Fire Chief Mason.

On this 20^th anniversary of 9/11, Mason offers a reminder to people, to remember the lives lost and the unity seen among Americans following the attacks.

“Not only remember today, remember how we got together in the months after that, the days, thew weeks, the months after that. You remember, there was bumper stickers on everybody’s car, ‘God bless America’, and all of these great things. All of these symbols of unity as a country,” said Mason.

The 9/11 20^th anniversary remembrance ceremony was also livestreamed on the Wilmington Fire Department’s Facebook page.