HASTINGS — It has been 23 years since the deadliest terrorist attacks occurred on American soil.
The City of Hastings hosted an somber ceremony in remembrance of 9/11 that took place at the New Hope Baptist Church on Wednesday.
Pastor and chaplain for Hastings Fire and Rescue, Eddie Goff, offered the opening prayer after the presentation of the colors was conducted by the Hastings Fire and Rescue Honor Guard.
There were six readings noting the significant times during the morning of Sept. 11, 2001:
- 8:46 a.m. – American Airlines crashes into floors 93 to 99 of the North World Trade Center – read by Joe Herman, Hastings Fire and Rescue.
- 9:03 a.m. – United Airlines 175 crashes into floors 77 to 85 of the South World Trade Center – read by Brad Cunningham, Hastings Police Department
- 9:37 a.m. – American Airlines 77 crashes into the Pentagon – read by Andy Mangeot, Hastings Fire and Rescue.
- 9:59 a.m. – The South Tower collapses – read by Josia Young, Hastings Fire and Rescue.
- 10:03 a.m. – United Airlines 93 crashes into a field near Shanksville, Penn. – read by Anna Sorensen, Hastings 911 Dispatch.
- 10:38 a.m. – The North Tower collapses – read by Rachel Dillman, retired U.S. Army veteran.
After each reading, a bell was struck five times by a member of the Hastings Fire and Rescue Honor Guard, its rings echoing loudly through the church’s sanctuary.
It was explained that historically, the toll of a bell summoned members to the station, signaled the beginning of a shift, notified departments of a call for help, and indicated a call was completed and the unit had returned to the station.
Departments also sounded a series of bells when a firefighter died in the line of duty to alert all members that a comrade had made the ultimate sacrifice.
The address was provided by Captain Jason Haase of the Hastings Police Department.
Haase said that September 11, 2001, is one of those dates that everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news of the attacks.
In composing his address, Haase said he spent a great deal of time deciding what he should speak on, is it better to remember the past or to look forward to the future; or how Americans came together with each other.
Haase said, true to himself, he was going to touch on all of the topics.
It was during that morning when people were going about their lives just like any other day, that they were suddenly faced with tragedy and the fundamentals of human existence.
Haase said that those ordinary people chose duty in the face of certain death. Security guards continued to get people out of the buildings, police officers and firefighters charged up the buildings that would no longer be standing in mere hours.
“Ordinary people chose self-sacrifice for the good of strangers,” Haase said, referencing the people of Flight 93 who fought for control of the aircraft until the hijackers were forced to crash in a Pennsylvania field.
“I ask you to join me in faith, that good will not just endure, it will prevail,” said Haase.
Looking to the future, Haase asked the audience not to let it take a national tragedy to bring people together.
As a more personal example, Haase spoke of how people will meet at a funeral and say they need to get together more, only for them to make no plans and only see each other at the next funeral.
A way to honor those who died on Sept. 11, 2001, is by caring for others and showing just a little bit more compassion in what we do.
As if it was planned as an example of the duties of first responders, the siren went off during the ceremony and several Hastings Fire and Rescue members and police officers left the ceremony early to head for the scene.
Before his closing prayer, Goff said that people should never miss a moment to tell their loved ones, just how much they mean to them.
“Don’t miss today, to tell someone that you love them,” Goff said.
