Tuesday, September 10, 2024–11:22 a.m.

-David Crowder, WRGA News-

It was 23 years ago Wednesday that many were heading to work with the news that America had been attacked.

On September 11, 2001, at 8:46 a.m., the first plane hijacked by al-Qaeda terrorists struck the north tower of the World Trade Center.

A second plane crashed into the south tower at 9:03 a.m.

Between 16,400 and 18,000 people were in the complex. Of those, the vast majority evacuated safely. As they rushed out, first responders rushed in trying to save those still trapped or injured.

Then, the unthinkable happened…..The towers fell.

An estimated 1,600 people in the north tower lost their lives that morning. Another thousand perished in the south tower.

125 were killed when a third plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington D.C.

Another 40 died when a fourth plane destined for Washington D.C. crashed in rural Pennsylvania following a revolt by passengers against the terrorists, possibly saving many lives.

Among those killed on 9-11 were 343 members of the New York Fire Department and 71 New York law enforcement officers.

On Wednesday, the Rome-Floyd County Fire Department will remember all of those who died that day with their annual 9/11 Commemorative Service.

It begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Rome-Floyd Firefighters Memorial, located behind Rome City Hall.

“If you have not attended one of those services, I’d encourage you to attend,” said Rome Mayor Craig McDaniel. “They are very well conducted and will make you remember where you were on 9/11, and it’s a very touching ceremony.”

According to Doug Walker, who has emceed the service for a number of years, for the longest time it was not known if there had been any in-service firefighter deaths locally. However, research has revealed there have been two.

“One officer, long ago, was actually backed over by a truck responding to a call,” Walker said. “They had overshot the fireplug, and when they were backing up, they ran over the officer. Then, a little bit more contemporary, but still I think over 50 years ago, there was a fire at the Battey Hospital and one of the walls collapsed, and severely injured one of the firefighters. He died sometime later. So, there’s a new memorial there specifically to those two.”

The families of those two firefighters will be represented during today’s ceremony.