Bagpipes played at City Hall Thursday morning as the Gilroy Police Department Honor Guard and Gilroy Fire Department personnel raised the flag to half-mast in remembrance of the lives lost during the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Members of the GFD and GPD joined City officials for a somber ceremony that concluded with a moment of silence just before 8:46 a.m., when five hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the World Trade Center’s North Tower exactly 13 years ago.
During a brief speech, Mayor Don Gage shared a personal story from one of the most infamous days in modern American history. On Sept. 11, 2001, Gage’s daughter was working two blocks from the WTC.
“The worst part of it was, as soon as it happened, the phones went dead. For four hours, we didn’t know if she was involved or not,” Gage said, adding that he finally got a hold of her and learned she was okay. “For me, it’s not hard to remember what happened on that day. It’s a day to remember what we have and what God has given us and this country—and all the freedoms that we have, and many times, just take for granted.”
The remembrance ceremony, which has taken place every year since 2001, serves two purposes, according to GFD Chief Alan Anderson. It sets aside time to reflect on the grave loss of life, nearly 3,000 dead as a result of the Sept. 11 attacks, and recognize how so many risked their own lives to help others in a time of great strife.
“Marking the anniversary of this tragic event provides us an opportunity to recognize the many instances of heroism, bravery and generosity, which reflects so strongly on America’s law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel and 9-1-1 dispatchers since that day,” Anderson said, speaking to the first responders in attendance. “We hope you will consider this occasion an opportunity to stress those values and hopes for the future in providing the public with the safety it deserves.”
“The thing I’m proud of is that we still have our military and our young men and women fighting terrorism,” Gage added. “There are enemies out there that hate the United States; they hate what we stand for. We’re always going to have terrorism…so we all have to be diligent in keeping our eyes wide open, because that is something that could happen very easily today, tomorrow, a week from now or a month from now.”
