National City firefighters hosted a 9/11 breakfast and remembrance ceremony Monday morning to commemorate the first responders and victims who died 16 years ago during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
Firefighters cooked eggs, biscuits and gravy for residents, community members and elected officials.
The American flag waved as it was hoisted on a National City ladder truck parked in front of Fire Station 34 at 343 East 16th St.
Walkways around the fire station were decorated with miniature garden flags.
Emergency Services Director Frank Parra said it is important to honor those who died on Sept. 11, 2001, so that Americans do not forget history.
“It was one of those significant moments in life that you remember exactly where you were in the moment it happened,” he said. “You really didn’t even realize what was happening. You wondered was it an accident? One plane OK, but then two? That’s when you really started wondering what’s going on, what kind of attack is going on here in the United States, and what this means to the lives of Americans at that time.”
The National City fire station had a display table with artifacts found at Ground Zero including a broken fire extinguisher nozzle, debris, a fire bell and other items.
A New York fire truck that rushed to the area where the New York World Trade Center had been attacked was on exhibit thanks to the effort of The Remembrance Rescue Project.
The Remembrance Rescue Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to historical preservation coupled with youth education in order to honor the 343 fallen FDNY firefighters on Sept.11, 2001.
The events of Sept.11, 2001, were a terrorist attack that killed nearly 3,000 people in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
In total, 343 New York City fire fighters lost their lives on 9/11. The New York City Police Department lost 23 officers that day, the Port Authority Police Department saw 37 of their people killed and paramedics and EMS units lost eight.
Since the attacks, 147 firefighters have died from post 9/11 illnesses such as cancer and other medical related illnesses.
Parra said the breakfast and remembrance ceremony in National City originally started in 2002, a year after the terrorist attacks.
He said a fellow firefighter wanted to cook breakfast for all fire personnel at the station as a sign of remembrance and respect for all the lives lost. Since then, Parra said, the event has grown large enough that the community can also enjoy a breakfast.
National City resident Erika Salazar, 30, brought her elementary school aged son with her to view the ceremony. Salazar said she was in middle school when she heard the news of two planes crashing into the World Trade Center.
She remembers feeling both angry and sad when she learned about what had happened.
Salazar’s son was born years after Sept.11, 2001 but she said she brought him to the event on Monday so that he can learn about the tragic event.
“We have to teach our kids (about what happened),” she said. “We must make sure history isn’t erased and that we honor those who lost their lives.”
