Delco remembers the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks

UPPER PROVIDENCE — Never forget. District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer and the Delaware County Council commemorated the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy at a ceremony at Rose Tree Park Friday morning. It was the first of many events that will take place across the county this weekend.

In his opening prayer, Sheriff Jerry Sanders said to never forget the memory of those who lost their lives that day.

“They did not die in vain,” Sanders said. He also called attention to the first responders who were lost saving others. “May their bravery be remembered and not just a footnote in history books.”

Delaware County Council Chairman Brian Zidek noted the Sept. 11 memorial was placed in Rose Tree Park in 2008 as a reminder and a place to reflect and to remember the heroes lost as a result of the attacks.

“This year marks the 20th anniversary of those attacks. It seems inconceivable that 20 years could have pased that day,” Zidek said. He recalled the range of emotions people felt from fear to anger to grief and to shock.

Zidek noted that an entire generation of young people were not born at that time but must keep alive the memory of those who died that day.

He told the story of a friend named Freddie, who worked on an upper story of the second building struck at the World Trade Center that day.

“As Freddie told me some months after the attack,” Zidek said, “the building shuddered, lights were flickering, and he said there was chaos and panic. He recalled the sense and smell of jet fuel was overwhelming.”
After the crash the employees did not know what to do until a firefighter arrived and organized their escape. He walked with them to the 40th floor then sent them down on their own as he went back up the stairs.

Everyone in his office was saved but shortly after getting out, the building went down.

“Freddie knew that fireman didn’t survive,” Zidek said. “I tell the story because there must be hundreds of thousands of stories like that from that day.

He also noted that events like that happen every day with first responders saving people they do not even know.

“That fireman had never met Freddie, never met anyone in his office but he put his life on the line and sacrificed his life so that Freddie and all those other folks could be kept safe,” Zidek said.

Numerous elected officials were in attendance including U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-5 of Swarthmore.

“We have an obligation to make sure that our younger generation not only knows what happened on Sept. 11  but they truly understand the scale of the loss we endured and how these events have impacted the trajectory of our nation,” said Scanlon.

Scanlon said it is important to remember the day and she has been consoled in how the community and nation came together in the face of tragedy.

She noted remembrance can take many forms from public events such as this to personal prayers.

She noted the heroes of that day were not superheroes but the faces of hometown heroes everywhere.

“They reflected the faces of my family, and neighbors, and yours, the firefighters, the police officers, EMTs and veterans who each and every day put on their uniforms and prepare for the unknown, to keep us safe protecting us from dangers we’ll never know were even lurking,” Scanlon said. “They swoop in to provide care when we aren’t as lucky. We will never have enough words to say properly how to honor their service.”

“The outpouring of volunteers and supplies and for those in need, and the support of Americans of different faiths who were targeted by bigots in the aftermath,” said Scanlon. “We were truly a United States of America in the days, weeks and months that followed.”

Stollsteimer seconded those thoughts and noted after the tumultuous 2000 presidential elections in which there were complaints of being stolen, there came unity because of the attacks.

“For a moment at least everybody in this country remembered we are all really Americans, we all believe in the same things, freedom and tolerance, we have much more that unites us than divides us,” he said.

“We can make a difference right here in Delaware County. Let’s be the change, let’s always remember we have more in common than we have that divides us. Let us always work towards independence, freedom and tolerance for everyone who lives with us in our society.”

Stollsteimer said that would be a proper honor for those who gave their lives 20 years ago,

“I remember being shocked, it changed life but in the end made us more appreciative of what we have and that we have to fight harder. I think civility is something that has been forgotten no matter what party you are,” said Geri Houpt of Havertown, who came out for the event.  “I think we forget, we go about our business and forget what life is really about. Our neighbors and friends, you’ve got to treat them well.”

“I was working at Franklin Mint, we were on break outside, it was horrible,” said Doris Nickerson of Aston who also attended Friday’s remembrance. “It was so weird not seeing an airplane in the sky. It was scary, I remember exactly where I was.”

Her daughter Janette Weigand also recalled.

“I had a 2-day-old baby, my neighbors’ house was on fire and I had the entire police and fire department in front of my house watching it on my big screen as it was happening,” Weigand said.