Kaitlyn Weidert, reading a letter from North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer, said the suicide bombings were felt across the US that day, changing everyone. She pointed out that the beams from the Twin Towers reminded everyone of the tragedy of 9/11. Cramer said we must all remember and learn the lessons of that day.
Michelle Strinden, Lt. Governor of North Dakota said she still remembered the day very clearly even 25 years ago. She was at home with her children, and struggled to comprehend what she was seeing. Strinden called family to make sure they were safe and then continued to watch. Although the events unfolded a long way from North Dakota, it had a major impact. Four North Dakotans lost their lives, and their families were changed forever. She also mentioned the many Canadians who were killed.
Visiting the memorial in New York, Strinden was deeply touched.
“Every name represented a life, a family, a story, a human being,” she said. “It was an incredibly moving experience.”
She added 9/11 could never just be a date in American history. She also paid tribute to the first responders who died responding to the attack and the military who served in the war on terror. Americans are stronger when they stand together, and when they stand with their Canadian neighbours. There are so many ways to honour the memory and to move forward.
“We can teach our children, even in the darkest moments, courage, compassion, faith and service, and unity carry us forward.”
Aaron Annable is the consul general of the Canadian consulate in Minneapolis. Representing the federal government, he said for Canadians, 9/11 was not just something that impacted our neighbours, but an attack on all of our values. In the days that followed, Canadians opened their doors to their stranded American friends and helped fight for the collective security. The two countries still work together to keep the entire continent safe. At a time of strains between the two governments, it was time to remember that closeness.
That was demonstrated, Annable explained, by the gift of 250 maple trees to the US in the honour of their birthday on July 4. They are to be planted across the country, including 15 in the International Peace Garden. The first was planted later that day after the ceremony.
Vice-Chair of the Manitoba Association of Fire Chiefs Dave Shellenberg said the significance of September 11 has not diminished after 25 years. The firefighting community, he explained, deeply remembers the 343 members who responded to the call that morning and did not return.
“When the alarm sounds, we respond,” Schellenberg explained. “We may serve in different communities, we may wear different uniforms, different patches, and even the flags on our shoulders may be different, but the commitment behind those uniforms is remarkably similar. Service before self. Courage in the face of uncertainty and responsibility to protect our communities and each other.”
He said the Peace Garden was a special place for the ceremony and commented on how Canadian and American firefighters were representing the service there. A new generation of firefighters are now serving who were not alive when 9/11 happened and this is why it is important to remember.
“We remember those who were lost, we honour those who answer the call and reaffirm our commitment to serve our communities with the same courage, compassion and sense of duty that has always defined the best of the fire service.”
Winnipeg Deputy Fire Chief Jason Shaw was keynote speaker. He said as the years pass, our responsibility to remember continues. At 8:45 that morning, the world changed forever. Despite the tragedy, people came together. Sometimes we are called together to be the spark to the light that defeats darkness.
Shaw shared a few stories. On the morning of 9/11, with American airspace closed, over 200 flights were diverted to Canada. In Gander, a community of 9,000 people welcomed 6,000 passengers. The community opened their homes and hearts, with relationships holding for a lifetime.
On a trip to New York, they visited a special bar for firefighters. There, they paid special tribute to the military members present who took out Osama bin Laden. Shaw mentioned the many soldiers from around the world that lost their lives fighting Al Qaida and the Taliban after September 11.
“Sometimes the light has to be taken back by removing the darkness,” Shaw said.
On the same trip, Shaw met the mother of Welles Crowther, known around the world as the “man with the red bandana”. He was only 24 years old when he worked in the south tower. He carried a red bandana his father gave him as a boy. When flight 175 hit the tower, he had many opportunities to save himself. A volunteer firefighter, however, his sense of duty took over. After calling his mother, he made his way down to the spot where many were trapped. Witnesses remembered a man in a red bandana rescued people in the only usable stairway. He brought groups to safety, and then went back up several times.
“When others were trying to escape, Welles, an American hero, was climbing back toward the injured to help complete strangers he had never met.”
The last sight of him was going back up when the south tower fell. Shaw brought red bandanas with him to honour Crowther.
Shaw said 25 years later, he was asking everyone to choose light over darkness, compassion, service and sacrifice. The Peace Garden reminds us that the border does not stop shared values.
“The stories remind us, that even in humanities darkest moments the light endures,” he explained. “As long as we remember, that light will never go out. We will remember.”
by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff