SYLACAUGA, Ala. – September 11, 2001 is a day which lives in infamy. On that day, 2,783 innocent people, first responders and military personnel lost their their lives due to terrorist attacks.
On Tuesday, on the seventeenth anniversary of the attacks, Southern States Bank in Sylacauga hosted a first responders and military appreciation ceremony, honoring those police, fire and military first responders who protect and serve our city, county, state and country on a daily basis.
Hundreds from the community attended to show their respect and honor the many people who serve every day.
“This is a day that brings up so many emotions for a lot of people, and a day that nobody will ever forget,” Sylacauga Police Chief Kelley Johnson said. “I get to serve with a great group of guys and gals every day, and it is great to see how appreciated we are in our community. It is great for all the first responders to get together, but sad that it took Sept. 11 to bring us together.”
Congressman Mike Rogers was in attendance and gave a brief statement to the crowd at Southern States Bank.
“It is important to have these memorial services and remind ourselves of what happened. We should never forget and we have to stay determined to not let it happen again,” Rogers explained. “The risk is not gone. We are seeing this around the world, especially in Europe, and hit their targets.”
Rogers stressed the importance of remembering those we lost, learning from the past, and preventing events in the future.
Rogers told SylacaugaNews.com the US government continues to be proactive in how it prepares for unforeseen events like 9/11. “There is no 100 percent solution to make us absolutely safe, but we have thwarted countless terrorist attacks that the public doesn’t even know about,” he said. “We are much better prepared than we were on 9/11 and I’m confident people can take comfort in knowing they can travel safely.”
