Jasper remembers 9/11 on 25th anniversary

JASPER — The heat did not stop residents from gathering Wednesday morning on the Jasper County Courthouse lawn to remember the victims and heroes of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The 16th annual Jasper Remembers 9/11 ceremony began with the haunting sound of bagpipes played by Jason Gunn. Students from First Baptist School filled the front rows, the Jasper High School marching band stood at attention and an American flag waved above the crowd from the extended ladder of Jasper Fire Department Tower 1. The gathering marked the 25th anniversary of the attacks that killed 2,977 people at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and aboard United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. Jasper County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Taylor Justice served as master of ceremonies. Jasper Mayor Clark McLane, Jasper County Judge Mark Allen and other speakers shared memories of where they were when the attacks occurred and urged younger generations to understand the day’s significance. “We come together here in Jasper for a very simple reason: to remember,” Justice said. Among the special guests were New York City firefighters Capt. Bruce DiPietro, retired Capt. Phil Davey, retired firefighter Jim Connolly and John Gaine. DiPietro, Connolly and Davey helped Jasper acquire the piece of World Trade Center steel embedded in the city’s memorial. DiPietro recalled being at the fire academy when the first plane struck at 8:46 a.m. He and other firefighters gathered equipment, traveled toward Ground Zero and arrived after the second tower collapsed. “There weren’t a lot of people to rescue that day,” DiPietro said. He noted that 343 firefighters died that day and more than 600 active and retired firefighters have since died from illnesses connected to 9/11. Despite those painful losses, DiPietro said visiting Jasper and witnessing the community’s patriotism gave the visiting firefighters hope. “It makes us feel happy that we can come halfway across the country and find people that have the same values and ideas and morals as us,” he said. Organizers Roy James and Chris Lanier helped make Jasper’s memorial possible. James described its World Trade Center steel as the “heartbeat of the memorial.” The steel was obtained through the firefighters and transported approximately 3,200 miles from New York to Jasper. During Wednesday’s ceremony, the firefighters were presented with a handcrafted replica containing a small piece of the World Trade Center steel remaining from construction of Jasper’s monument. Members of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, including Chief Donnis Battise and the tribe’s veterans color guard, also participated. Allen thanked the first responders who entered the towers and the military members who served during the years following the attacks. The ceremony included a moment of silence and the ringing of bells in remembrance of those killed. Lanier captured the spirit behind Jasper’s continued remembrance. “On Sept. 11, 2001, we were all New Yorkers,” he said.