Washington County remembers 9/11
Katie Anderson/Observer-Reporter
At left, Wayne McGinnis, a veteran, salutes during a 9/11 memorial service in South Strabane Township Friday morning.
Chuck Mass, a veteran with American Legion Post 175, performs "Taps," while police, fire and EMS personnel stand in the background during a 9/11 memorial service in South Strabane Friday morning.
Katie Anderson/Observer-Reporter
Police, fire and EMS personnel from across the county stand in remembrance of 9/11 during a memorial service Friday morning.
Police, fire and EMS personnel from across the county stand in remembrance of 9/11 during a memorial service Friday morning.
South Strabane police Chief Drew Hilk, left, and township fire Chief Scott Reese place wreaths at a 9/11 memorial at Washington Mall, during a 19th anniversary service Friday morning.
Washington County residents, elected officials and veterans gathered in the parking lot of the Washington Mall in South Strabane Township, near the 9/11 memorial, to remember the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
A significant distance behind the crowd stood dozens of first responders lined up in front of their apparatus.
“Like so many other things in our current life, we knew that things would need to be a little bit different this year,” South Strabane police Chief Drew Hilk told the crowd as he began the 8:45 a.m. service Friday.
Hilk said they chose to keep first responders fairly distanced from the crowd for safety. Hilk and township fire Chief Scott Reese contribute to the planning of the event each year.
“Even though we had the challenges of the virus this year, we still wanted to do something that was going to help people reflect on the day of 9/11,” Reese said.
That’s why they had a few chairs set up, spaced six feet apart. They also decided to have emergency crews exit in a procession at the end of the service. Even with these changes, many residents still attended, which Hilk called “a testament to the community.”
“People in the community know that we do this, and they expect us to do it,” he said. “They like to join us and remember.”
Veterans from American Legion Post 175 presented the American flag before John Patterson sang the national anthem.
The Rev. Gary Gibson of North Buffalo United Presbyterian Church addressed the crowd, saying that while it’s been 19 years, “it seems like it just happened yesterday.”
He said Americans across the country remember where they were and what they were doing that morning when they learned of the attacks. He said many were “glued to the television” in the hours and days that followed. Gibson suggested that perhaps the world hasn’t changed all that much since.
“Terrorism of all kinds continues to plague our country, our schools, our highways and, unfortunately, even our churches,” Gibson said. “Help us to let go and let God take care of it.”
Gibson prayed, asking God for peace for the nation on such a solemn anniversary and for unity and safety as the country continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We know the sun is indeed shining somewhere, and let it shine with love, encouragement and support on each of us, but in particular, those families who lost loved ones,” he said. “Let us remember that the will of God will never take us to where the grace of God will not sustain us.”
The hymn, “Amazing Grace,” was played while Hilk and Reese placed wreaths at the memorial. Chuck Mass, a veteran with Legion Post 175, performed “Taps.”
The Rev. Robert Grewe of First Lutheran Church of Washington, who’s also the South Strabane fire chaplain, also prayed for the thousands of civilians and first responders who were killed that day.
“We know that these first responders rest in your loving arms, and we know that you remain with those who continue to struggle here with illness and trauma caused by those terroristic attacks,” Grewe said.