Alexandria leaders and first responders commemorated the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at Alexandria Police Headquarters this morning (Sept. 11).
Nearly 3,000 people were killed on 9/11 when terrorists flew commercial airliners into the Pentagon, the World Trade Center buildings in New York City, and into a field near Shanksville, Pa. On that fateful day, the Alexandria Police and Fire Departments and Sheriff’s Office responded to the Pentagon after it was struck by American Airlines flight 77.
“We will never forget those who were lost, those who survived, those who rushed toward danger to save others, and all those whose lives were changed forever,” Sheriff Sean Casey said.
Sixteen of the nearly 3,000 people who died in the 9/11 attacks were from Alexandria.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins said that, earlier this week, she stopped by the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City with City Manager Jim Parajon and city staff. The group was there for Alexandria’s annual bond rating presentation.
“As we left dinner that evening, we walked outside, and as we’re walking down the street, there was a light that stopped me right in my tracks,” Gaskins said. “That was the first time that I had ever seen the two blue lights shining up into the sky in New York City to mark the place where the Twin Towers stood. I couldn’t stop myself. I couldn’t stop my mind from racing.”
Gaskins said she was reminded of a song she used to sing in church as a child, “This Little Light Of Mine.”
“Light has the ability to remind us that in such sorrow, in paralyzing grief, in moments that we don’t quite understand, that there is something much greater,” Gaskins said. “It’s my hope as we stand here today that we’ll continue from this day forward to keep standing by each other side by side, and that together our lights will be a reminder that out of this tragedy we not only remember but we also carry forward a hope, a courage, a compassion and a light that cannot be shaken.”
Police Chief Tarrick McGuire said that his department will never forget those who died on 9/11.
“Today, we remember those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, including 16 Alexandrians,” McGuire said. “They were our neighbors, friends, and members of our community. Twenty-five years later, their memory remains with us. We honor their lives, stand with their families, and will never forget their sacrifice.”
