(MURFREESBORO) "WE WILL NEVER FORGET" was the phrase that helped us make it through the dark days following 9/11/2001. It's hard to believe that was 21-years ago, a time that seemed as if our lives and the world stopped. That mood was captured at the Rutherford County Sheriffs Office at 9:00 o'clock Friday morning (9/9/2022) in front of the 9/11 Remembrance memorial there at 940 New Salem Road.
The first sentence on the program captured the feeling: "We dedicate the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony to emergency responders, civilians and military who sacrificed their lives after the terrorists' attack on September 11, 2001 in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania."
When the tragic event ended 2,977 died, more than 25,000 were injured and 19 hijackers committed murder-suicide (2,753 were killed at the World Trade Center in NYC, 184 at the Pentagon in Washington, and 40 in the rural Pennsylvania countryside).
Now give yourself some time without interruption, close your eyes and reflect back to your memories of that day:
(playing time 22-minutes, 28-seconds)
If you were there in-person, or able to only join us with this recording, WGNS wanted to make certain that each individual who made this special moment, was THANKED . . .
- Rutherford County Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh
- Invocation given by Chaplain Victor Poletajev
- National Anthem: Riverdale Women's Chorale
- Post of the POW flag: Rolling Thunder
- Pledge of Allegiance: Captain Phil Barnett, retired US Navy
- Bell Ringing: Murfreesboro Fire-Rescue Honor Guard
- 21 Gun Salute: Honor Guard from Rutherford County Sheriffs Office, Smyrna Fire Department, Rutherford County Emergency Medical Services
- Patriotic songs: Riverdale Women's Chorale
- Echo TAPS: MTSU Professor Dr. Michael Arndt and sophomore trumpet major Connor Prim
- Emcee Bart Walker, WGNS
The 9/11 Memorial at the Rutherford County Sheriffs Office includes a 3,000-pound I-beam from Tower 1 of the World Trade Center. There are benches under trees that face our local memorial. You are encouraged to visit the sheriffs office at your convenience and reflect back on your memories of 9/11.
