Park City marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks with a solemn ceremony that honored those who perished, recalled the heroism of first responders and noted the lingering health concerns of those who were there in the aftermath. The Friday-morning ceremony, held outside the Park Aven ue police station, started under overcast skies befitting the date and with a soft rain falling. Area emergency agencies were well represented, and there were scattered members of the public in attendance. At least three members of the Park City Council — Tana Toly, Bill Ciraco and Molly Miller — were present, as was Park City Manager Adam Lenhard. Dana Williams, a former three-term mayor whose first campaign unfolded against the backdrop of Sept. 11 in the fall of 2001, was also in attendance. The Park City Fire District brought two engines to the event, parked along the side of S.R. 224. The ladder of one of the engines, displaying a large American flag, was extended high into the air above the road. The ceremony included protocol such as raising and lowering the American and Utah flags to half-staff outside the police station. There were moments of silence. Vaifoa Lealaitafea, a Police Department lieutenant, performed the national anthem. The event was similar to earlier ones marking Sept. 11 anniversaries. Speakers talked of never forgetting what occurred that day. Snyderville Basin resident Scott Zink, a retired New York City Police Department sergeant who responded to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, was in the crowd and said afterward he was pleased with the ceremony. “The event changed our country. It changed the world,” he said, describing that he does not want Sept. 11 to fade from memory. “If you forget history, it’s bound to repeat.” Police Chief Wade Carpenter delivered stirring remarks, speaking to the crowd about the heroism that day. “Twenty-five years ago, on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, our nation was shaken to its core. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were acts of unimaginable cruelty, yet they revealed extraordinary courage and resilience of the American spirit,” he said. Carpenter added: “In New York City, the towers burned and the streets filled with smoke and fear. Hundreds of firefighters, police officers and emergency medical personnel ran toward danger. They climbed the stairwells in the twin towers guided only by the duty of unshakable commitment to save lives. Many never made it back. Their sacrifice is etched in history of our nation and in the hearts of every American who witnessed their selfless bravery.” Representatives of the Park City Fire District, like Assistant Chief Ashley Lewis, and other emergency agencies were in attendance at a ceremony marking the anniversary of Sept. 11 at the Park Avenue police station. Speakers talked of never forgetting what occurred that day. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record He spoke about the illnesses some first responders at the scene have suffered in the years since Sept. 11, saying there are frequent death notifications filed involving people who suffered illnesses afterward. “We also honor the citizens lost, families left behind and spouses, children and parents — the loved ones — who will forever be changed. Their strength over the last 25 years is a continuation of the courage we saw that day,” Carpenter said. The police chief recalled Americans coming together after the attacks. “As the years continue to pass, fewer people will have personal memory of that day. That makes our responsibility to remember all the greater. We owe the people that lost their lives. We owe the first responders who gave everything. And we owe the generations to come after us,” Carpenter said. “So, today, we take a moment to remember. We remember the lives lost. We remember the families who carry this loss. We remember the first responders who ran toward danger. We remember the strength we found in one another. We remember a nation came together in grief. We remember the men and women who answered the call to serve our country in the years to follow. Let us teach the next generation the stories of these heroes so that their courage echoes far beyond our time.” The post Park City marks 25th anniversary of Sept. 11 with solemn ceremony appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less