September 11 Anniversary Ceremony Includes Reflection And Remembrance

Elected officials, police officers and firefighters recently descended upon Anne Arundel County’s September 11 Memorial at police headquarters in Millersville to commemorate the 14th anniversary of 9/11 and pay their respects to the victims of the terrorist attacks.

County Executive Steve Schuh, Police Chief Timothy Altomare and Fire Chief Allan Graves were among those who spoke briefly during the event, which took place on Friday, September 11, and began at about 10:00am. State’s Attorney Wes Adams also spoke, and Anne Arundel County Fire Department Chaplain John Long led a prayer.

Schuh, Altomare and Graves also helped lay a wreath at the Memorial, which was dedicated on September 11, 2010, to honor the public safety officers who responded during the attacks and who continue to respond to those in need every day.

“Today is both a remembrance and a reminder,” Schuh said after the ceremony. “[It’s] a remembrance of those who perished on that tragic day 14 years ago … citizens, civilians and professional firefighters, police and emergency medical personnel. But it’s also a reminder that we are blessed to have people in our public safety departments that are willing to put their lives on the line every day to keep our communities and our country safe.”

For some, like Altomare, the annual ceremony at the memorial holds unique meaning. Altomare said he was at Ground Zero for four or five days after the attacks occurred, leaving an indelible impression on him. Altomare recalled seeing “notes, the missing posters and pleas for help” at Ground Zero, and one in particular struck him.

“There was a note in the middle of all the missing posters right at the fence that was set up at Ground Zero,” Altomare said after the ceremony. “[It] said something along the lines of, ‘To my angels, you were running in when everyone else was running out, and we’ll never forget you.’ And that picture will always be in my head.”

Graves said after the ceremony that 9/11 is a “watershed moment” in which everyone remembers where they were when the attacks took place, calling the memories “very solemn and moving.”

Graves thinks it’s important to recognize the importance of the job public safety officers do to keep their communities safe.

“I hope it reminds people of the sacrifices that public safety officers make in their daily jobs,” Graves said of the ceremony. “Even knowing the outcome, they would have still gone into those buildings and done what they could.”