Emergency responders from across Waterloo Region gathered at a monument in Kitchener, Ont. to honour those who lost their lives during the tragic events that happened 25 years ago on 9/11. The commemorative ceremony took place at the Fallen Firefighter’s Memorial in Civic Centre Park on Friday morning. “This artifact we have here, which is one of the very few that every made it into Canada, is one of the first that ever did make it here,” David Bowman, co-chair of the memorial committee for the Kitchener Professional Firefighters Association, said. A steel beam from the World Trade Centre stands at the heart of the memorial, a testament to all the people who bravely rushed in to help others, despite the dangers all around them. “It’s 25 years later and we still have members that were at work here on September 11, 2001 and they remember those days very vividly and it doesn’t bring back a moment because it’s the single largest loss of firefighters and emergency responders in one single incident,” Bowman said. Members of the Kitchener Fire Department were joined by Waterloo Regional Police officers and EMS members. “The fire service made a promise 25 years ago to never forget and it’s our job. It could have easily been any other firefighters across North America,” Bowman said. He added that it’s not only the first responders who are still feeling the impact of that day. “There are 2,977 civilians that lost their lives that day. There’s that many families that are still grieving loss to this day.” Community members, some with extremely close connections to the events in New York, also shared their memories of that day. “We have civilians, people locally from the community that lost people that day. People that had family members that were up in those towers. Or, people that showed up maybe 30 minutes late for work and narrowly escaped and now reside in the region,” Bowman said. He also highlighted the importance of keeping this next generation informed about 9/11. “For them to come and see the emotions other people are going through, to come to our memorial site here and reflect with our 9/11 artifact. It’s a great way to tell that story so that it’s never forgotten.” A ceremony is held every year and anyone is welcome to attend. Where were you on Sept. 11, 2001? Most people who were alive Sept. 11, 2001 remember exactly where they were when they found out about the terror attacks. “I walked into school and one of my teachers was crying,” said a resident from Waterloo Region. “They brought in a TV, and then we saw the second plane come in and hit live. It was absolutely terrifying.” One of our own at CTV Kitchener, production coordination Alan Fraser, visited the World Trade Center the day before it happened. He called into the station that day. “We were at the World Trade Center yesterday. We were eating lunch in the plaza that’s down below, and there was a considerable amount of tourist traffic on the ground around there,” Fraser said that day. Regional Chair Karen Redman was in Washington D.C when it happened. At the time, she was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment, but was living in Waterloo Region. “We were not at the epicenter of the issue. But as I said, we could see the smoke from the Pentagon,” she recalled. She was there for an international conference along with representatives from 49 countries all around the world. She said everyone there was very emotional and confused. “We were all worried about our own personal safety, because in some ways it was a bit of a loss of innocence, I think, for the world,” she said.
