Arlington Remembers 9/11 – 20th Anniversary

good morning ladies and gentlemen on behalf of arlington county government thank you for joining us this morning as we gather to commemorate the anniversary of the terrorist attacks of september 11 2001 we come together to honor and remember the lives that were lost and to express our gratitude to those who responded on that day and every day since in service to their fellow citizens please stand for the presentation of the colors by the arlington county public safety combined honor guard and the singing of our national anthem details reset look captain tyson stanislaus will now sing our national anthem oh say can you see by the dawn's early light what's so broadly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight or the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rockets are regular the bombs bursting in air gave a roof through the night that our flag was still there oh say does that star spangled banner yet away or the land and of the free and the home of the brain right shoulder warter arms ladies and gentlemen please join me in welcoming our elected and senior appointed officials arlington county board chair matt diferanti county board vice chair katie crystal county board members livy garvey takus keratonis christian dorsey we also have with us former county board chair jay fazette former county managers ron carley and barbara denalin jay facette and ron carley were the chair and county manager on september 11 2001. we also have state delegate alfonso lopez county manager mark schwartz county fire chief david povlitz county police chief andy penn sheriff beth arthur and director of public safety communications and emergency management aaron miller at this time we will hear remarks from county board chair matt deferenti good morning honored guests arlington county public safety personnel and distinguished residents all residents fellow arlingtonians this morning we mark and remember the 20th anniversary of the coordinated attack on arlington and on america where 184 americans lost their lives at the pentagon and 2977 lost their lives across the country most of us alive that day will never forget where we were i was at my kitchen table listening to the radio yes radios were a thing back then and getting ready for work i'll never forget looking up from that table and running to turn on the tv shocked today we honor those we lost the efforts of the many arlington first responders who risked their own lives to respond to the attack on the pentagon and to remember our shared experience as a county government and as a community on september 11th nine of our fire stations sent firefighters to the scene our police department and our sheriff's office also rushed to help former fire chief jim schwartz was the deputy chief at the time and became the incident commander he arrived at the pentagon nine minutes after the plane hit the building jim shares a story that shows our public safety's brave bravery and professionalism after he arrived at the pentagon the radio rep the intercom the radio reported that another plane might be heading towards the pentagon he and many of you other first responders at the scene had to scramble to leave the pentagon only to later return 20 minutes after scrambling the plane that they were worried about that was in the air eventually went down in shanksville pennsylvania later that day and for the ensuing 10 days arlington county through our fire department and leadership led the response for the region working day and night at the scene our entire county workforce pitched in to support the response if you were here today and served our community on 9 11 or the days weeks and months afterwards you have our communities gratitude and thanks for your extraordinary service later that day in the morning afternoon and evening arlington residents walked home from their jobs in d.c contacted their schools to make sure children were safe and sought somehow to absorb the fact that the world had changed the next day and in the ensuing weeks arlingtonians sought to help any way they could sending food to fire stations leaving notes at the pentagon and making sure our first responders never paid for lunch when they were out in the community if you remember those weeks and months after 9 11 arlington came together as a people in recognized service we held an october 7th event led by then county board chair j facet to remember and appreciate everything that had happened to grieve and to be together if you watch the video of that event or if you remember wherever you were in the days weeks and months after 9 11 i think you'll see or remember that it was a time of kindness and togetherness even if it definitely wasn't easy or perfect one cherrydale firefighter put it this way it was a time when people were more likely to give each other a hug than a scowl we need a little bit more of that these days i think we'd all agree that in this moment with the pandemic and all we face his words ring as true as they ever have so as we remember september 11th let's for never forget those who lost their lives including arlington county police officer harvey snook who died of 9 11 related cancer on january 14 2016. let's also remember and honor the families of those we've lost let's honor our current public safety who served as well as those who have retired the response to the pentagon is forever in the dna of the arlington public safety agencies that responded it is a legacy to be proud of and to continue to share with the new generation of responders let's see to keep this spirit and kindness and resilience we found as a community after september 11th i hope you'll take a moment to reflect today i hope you'll join me now or take a private moment later to thank all those of uh those who keep our communities safe county manager mr mark schwartz good morning 20 years ago on a beautiful tuesday morning september 11th i was at work in my office in the new executive office building just down the street from the white house we knew what had happened in new york and then we heard about the pentagon and we're warned another plane was flying toward this area and we evacuated as quickly as we could the fear and anxiety we felt was overwhelming and we ran away from what we thought was danger this is just one of the reasons i stand in awe of the tremendous work done by our first responders every day and especially that tragic day 20 years ago running into an inferno to help charging into the horror rather than turning away this is the definition of courage my thanks to all the active and retired firefighters emts police officers members of the sheriff's department call center operators and volunteer members of the community who responded in so many ways i especially want to take a minute to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice whether those working in the pentagon that day or the first responders who suffered impacts that day and later to their physical mental and emotional health for many the loss and memories continue to be difficult i hope that each of you are taking an opportunity to find solace that can bring you some comfort looking out at the crowd today i want to offer my personal appreciation for all that you do to keep our county and region safe we are well prepared to respond to emergencies that face us whether it is natural public health or man-made disaster i am proud of the resiliency that our employees showed on 9 11 and as we tackle challenges each day whether the covet 19 pandemic helping new arrivals from afghanistan or helping to enrich and repair the fabric of our great democracy and most importantly i want to thank each of you for serving our community every minute of every day thank you the chief of the arlington county fire department chief david pavlitz thank you captain santini it's my humble privilege to join you on the 20th anniversary of the tragic events from september 11 2001. we will remember those who lost their lives at the world trade center pentagon and flight 93 we will honor the brave members of the military fire rescue ems law enforcement emergency management emergency communicators and the citizens who help those in need it is clear to me that every responder who worked at the crash site had the support of thousands from arlington county government and the surrounding communities it's been fascinating to hear how arlington came together in moments before during and the years after the crashes the county board manager's office and every single department and agency of the government focused on a common mission to help others in extreme crisis the concern charity and compassion is admiral admirable and always the right thing to do those same values are on display as we respond to this pandemic the fire department has 76 active members who were working or responded to the pentagon during september 11 2001 they worked tirelessly before during and after the crash we are proud to be a part of the ongoing effort to keep arlington a safe secure and thriving community we affirm our commitment to guard protect and serve our county as those who did on that day through ceremony personal reflection we recognize our family friends and communities who were and are affected by this tragedy we give our gratitude to those who support us and help us do every day to do our sworn duty as armed forces and first responders worked side by side 20 years ago we commit then and affirm now to defend our freedoms and help those in need our remembrance events display our respect for our institutions and our dedication to our nation it is an honor and privilege to remember the events of that day in 2001 with a sense of reverence resolve and resilience we as we continue to heal let us also keep the communities affected by the pandemic violence and natural disasters in our thoughts as we know recovery is very difficult they will need our help and the help of the county as well thank you very much the chief of the arlington county police department chief andy penn good morning and thank you for joining us today as we come together to remember it's hard to believe that it's been 20 years since our world changed forever there are very few events throughout my life where i remember where i was when i heard something or remember my specific actions over a period of days and weeks 9 11 is certainly one of those events it's not possible to think of september 11th without reflecting upon the devastating loss of life nearly 3 000 men women and children were taken from us as a result of the actions of a few here in arlington as mentioned we lost corporal harvey snook in january of 2016 as a result of cancer connected contracted while working in the recovery efforts at the pentagon harvey was a wonderful human being a great police officer and a true friend to all that he met he always had a kind word and a big smile that would brighten your day harvey like so many others is sorely missed as we reflect back to 20 years ago we must always continue to honor those that were lost but also recognize the strength of our community those that committed this heinous act were directly attacking our way of life what the terrorists did not count on was the resiliency and determination of our nation and the american people who came together and supported one another through some of our darkest days as i look back on the hours days and weeks following 9 11 the manner in which this community came together and supported one another was truly inspiring following the tax of 9 11 president bush remarked terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings but they cannot touch the foundation of america these acts shatter steel but they cannot dent the steel of american resolve these words continue to resonate with me today here in arlington our strength as a community comes directly from our willingness to accept the differences that make us unique and stronger both in spirit and in character it is our solemn promise to never forget the lives lost as a result of the attack the sacrifice of corporal harvey snook the bravery of all who responded that fateful day in the days following and all of those who continue to keep us safe both here at home and abroad thank you department of public safety communications and emergency management mr aaron miller good morning i'm humbled to be with you today to acknowledge those who responded on the morning of september 11 2001 and remember those who lost their lives again this year on the 20th anniversary of those terrorist attacks we paused to remember the nearly three thousand men women and children who lost their lives and we remain eternally grateful to the first responders and other county employees who rushed into action that day among those serving that morning were men and women of the arlington county emergency communications center 911 center staff answered the call for service with grace determination and bravery they were a calm voice on the other end of a 9-1-1 call they were a lifeline on the other end of a radio to our first responders at the pentagon they dutifully served the community the nation in the face of an uncertain rapidly evolving and catastrophic emergency i am humbled to work alongside of them and each of these first responders every single day their dedication to service dedication to others a selfless dedication demonstrated through ongoing acts of compassion and courage big and small is a hallmark of arlington's first responders it is a proud tradition and in part it is through this selfless dedication how we and arlington continue to honor the legacy of those who lost their lives may god continue to bless the memory of their loved ones friends and families and may our work of selfless dedication rooted in justice righteousness and service carry on their legacy sheriff beth arthur good morning everyone on a beautiful day just like today september 11 2001 after watching what was going on in new york i stepped in my office to call my husband who works for the department of labor to tell him what was going on and at about 9 38 a deputy walked by my office deputy shelley p washington and said the pentagon's been hit i looked out of my window and saw the plume of smoke that came up out of the pentagon and there was lots of thoughts running through my mind and at any rate we started i locked down the jail and the sheriff's office started to prepare to help out in any way that we could to help our community and to help our public safety partners in arlington and to help any victims that were still at the pentagon that we could help assist i cannot say enough about how proud i am of the men and women that work in this community and public safety on september 11th and for the last 20 years that i've had the honor to work with they've stood tall every time anything is ever asked upon them they serve our community with grace and dignity and you know mis and have been just a pillar to me within this community and i can't be prouder of how arlington responded but also how america responded if you remember we saw flags everywhere we were one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all while we're a resilient group we also always are prepared for what's going to happen and so we continue to be prepared and ready to stand up every single day for what might come our way whether it's a fire uh you know an incident in our community in the jail in the courthouse we're all there ecc calm voices in the midst of chaos so the memories that i have of that day are vivid and you know just like they happened yesterday as the other chiefs have said uh but i couldn't be prouder of this community and the way we responded and as ron carly pointed out last night it wasn't just public safety that responded and stood up it was all of arlington county's government i was in the command center for the county and anything they needed you know asked the sheriff's office we were preparing meals out of the jail sending them to first responders we you know rose to the occasion as did arlington county government and as we do today 20 years later for our community i just want to say you know it's been an honor to serve and to be a part of what we do in public safety in arlington thank you and god bless america chief david pavlitz chief andy penn and sheriff beth arthur will now join the arlington county public safety combined honor guard in placing a wreath at the flagpoles to honor those who lost their lives on this tragic event 20 years ago tomorrow ladies and gentlemen please join us in a moment of silence and memory of the nearly 3 000 men women and children who lost their lives 20 years ago tomorrow 9 37 a.m is the exact time that american airlines flight 77 crashed into the pentagon killing 184 people thank you officers you may lower the flags to half-staff [Music] [Music] [Music] right shoulder on september 11 2001 people in arlington in new york and in shanksville pennsylvania started their day like any other the day was clear with a bright blue sky as summer was beginning to release that's from its grip at 9 37 a.m members of the arlington county fire and police department along with their counterparts from fort myer the fbi the county sheriff's and response agencies from the metropolitan area and went to work to care for the injured to control the fire to manage the hazardous materials and deal with the collapse of the building civilian and military members of the pentagon workforce acted heroically assisting their comrades from the building and in some cases re-entering numerous times to search for others in the end 59 people on the aircraft and 125 in the pentagon perished these 184 souls ranged in age from 3 to 71 years as we pause each year on this anniversary to remember their families are reminded of their loss every day since 2001 hundreds more have died as a result of cancers and other illnesses associated with their rescue and recovery efforts among them arlington county police officer harvey snook we should never forget those who initially survived but still later made the ultimate sacrifice at the pentagon the response and recovery efforts lasted for 20 days as that work ended the community began the healing process and the responders intensified their efforts to prepare for a new generation of threats for the members of our military september 11th was the beginning of a new mission stretching to all corners of the world since that day just as every day throughout our nation's history these courageous men and women have answered the call of their country sacrificing so much and at times sacrificing all to protect our nation and the world from threats to our safety and security among those is the uss arlington one of three ships commissioned to honor the victims and first responders of 9 11. today the ship sails the global seas in service to the defense of our nation when we say never forget our remembrance must include the commitment of our nation's armed forces their enduring sacrifices cannot go unrecognized ladies and gentlemen this concludes our ceremony please keep those who lost their lives and your thoughts and prayers throughout the day please remain standing for the retiring of the callers thank you for attending details you

Channel: Arlington TV

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Length: 41min 57sec (2517 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 10 2021