Suisun City honors 9/11 on fire station lawn home to World Trade Center steel beams
In remembrance of the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center in New York City, the Suisun City Fire Department hosted a day of events encouraging the community to stop and reflect 24 years after the tragedy.
In the early morning on Thursday, the department rang the bell at the exact times of the following events: when Flight 11 struck the North Tower, when Flight 175 struck the South Tower, when Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, when the South Tower collapsed, when Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania and when the North Tower collapsed.
In the evening, the department hosted a memorial ceremony on the front lawn of the fire department.
"We pause to remember," Fire Chief Brad Lopez said in his remarks at the podium. "In those days that followed, this country came together as one."
Community members gathered together to honor the nearly 3,000 lives lost on 9/11 and the brave souls who rushed to danger as the towers fell.
Amber Harty, a Suisun City resident, brought her two young daughters to the event, which she attends every year.
"It's a big part of our history and it should be talked about," Harty said.
She and her daughters were dressed in shirts donning the United States flag.
"This is our way to remember. I pass it on to them," Harty said.
Outside the Suisun City Fire Department permanently sits a small piece of the World Trade Center: two steel beams recovered from the rubble that adorn the front lawn of the station.
"These beams are more than twisted steel. They're symbols of sacrifice, resilience and the bond we share as Americans. They connect our small community directly to that day," Lopez said.
It serves as a daily reminder of the firefighter's calling.
"What we do to serve our community is bigger than us. When we have national tragedies, we come together as a community," Lopez said.
It is a day that feels heavy, especially for a Suisun City neighbor who is originally from Long Island.
"I'm still, in my heart, a New Yorker," said neighbor Trish Abbatiello. "I love the United States. And I'm glad we will never forget."
In a political climate that so often feels more divided than united, the day serves as a reminder not just to remember 9/11 but the sense of togetherness that followed the tragedy.
"We have a lot of heaviness in our political climate. We really need to work together. We need both sides of the aisle to say this has got to stop," Abbatiello said. "We have to hear each other and listen to one another and love one another. And truly believe we can be the United States of America. It's scary to see how it doesn't seem that way. That it is the blue states and the red states."
More firefighters have now died after 9/11 than those who were killed that day due to cancer and illness.