On the 22nd anniversary of the tragedy of September 11, 2001, Penta Career Center marked Patriot Day with a ceremony outside the main entrance.
Students and staff gathered near the flagpole at Penta’s main entrance with Perrysburg Township Fire Chief Tom Brice who delivered the keynote address. VFW Post 9963 of Walbridge and first responders and law enforcement from Haskins, Lake Township, Middleton Township, Ohio Highway Patrol, Perrysburg, Perrysburg Township, Pemberville, Rossford, Toledo, Troy, Lake and Monclova townships, and the Wood County sheriff’s office were in attendance.
To emphasize the significance of the day, Perrysburg Township and Pemberville fire departments raised a large American flag between their ladder trucks with assistance from criminal justice students who took care not to let the flag touch the ground.
Firefighter program student Karlie Clark of Genoa Schools served as emcee, “It is my honor and privilege to stand before you today as we remember the 22nd anniversary of a day that changed the United States forever.”
Following her opening comments, Rylie Garcia, a medical technologies academy student of Lake Schools, sang the National Anthem as the criminal justice color guard presented the colors.
Recalling the day when four planes were hijacked by terrorists and flown into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon with the fourth forced down by passengers in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Karlie said, “I want my generation to remember all of the fallen men and women of September 11 and the impact that this day brought upon our country.”
She noted that 2,977 lives perished that day, pointing out that it shouldn’t take an anniversary to remember victims. She implored attendees never to forget the innocent victims, fallen first responders and the sacrifices of military personnel.
“Never forget that what was supposed to devastate this country, actually strengthened and bonded it like never before,” she added.
After her presentation, the Penta honor guard under the direction of McKenzyee Eitniear, a criminal justice student from Swanton Schools, raised the American flag to the top before slowly lowering it to half-staff in remembrance.
VFW Post 9963 members then delivered a 21-gun salute; sophomore exploratory student Logan Walker played “Taps,” and the Black Swamp Pipe and Drum corps performed “Amazing Grace.”
Members of the Experimental Aircraft Association followed with a flyover, and dipped their wings in homage to those who lost their lives that day.
Chief Brice said it is an “honor and privilege” to speak at the assembly.
“This audience is primarily the future of our country. It’s hard to believe that none of you were even born yet.”
He acknowledged that like those old enough to remember, he recalls the events of September 11 and what he was doing that morning, noting it is etched in collective memories of millions of Americans.
The day, he recalled, began like any other and with a clear blue sky. “We stopped to get a bite to eat after a medical emergency, when we learned a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers.
Returning to the station, they turned on the television and witnessed a second plane hitting the second tower. “We knew then it was an act of terrorism.”
He remembers the Pentagon being hit at 9:37 a.m., and shortly thereafter, learning that Flight 93, hijacked and headed for the nation’s capital, had gone down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered all aircraft to land, and they remained grounded for several days thereafter. “It was eerily quiet,” the chief recalled.
A short time later, he remembers the first tower collapsing with people from 77 countries occupying space in the towers.
First responders who had rushed in to bring many out safely, found themselves victims of the attack. New York lost 242 firefighters, eight paramedics and 60 police officers that day.
“It shows that you never know when you will be called to act, but you must be prepared.
“The days that followed saw a resurgence in patriotism, the likes of which the country had not seen since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941,” the chief said.
“Enlistments [in the military] went through the roof,” he noted, “and although terrible, America united behind one cause.”
Several years after the event, Patriot Day was established by the federal government as a day of remembrance.
“What can you do to honor their sacrifice?” the chief asked. “I challenge you to find ways to serve others today and every day. Help teachers, thank a veteran. Pay it forward.”
He concluded, “Let’s remember this day for those who died to protect the United States.”
The ceremony ended with the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance and the reading of a poem “When a Part of America Died.”
Penta Career Center serves 16 school districts in five counties including Springfield High School.
~Jane Maiolo
