Sept. 11 speakers remember how people looked after each other

They told the stories of faith and courage, of love and dedication, of sacrifice during the darkest times of life.

Speakers representing faith and first responders revealed stories of courage at this year’s Carson City 9/11 event at the Mills Park memorial. Pastor Pat Propster of Calvary Chapel in Carson City reminded people what life became the day after terrorists hijacked four airline passenger jet and proceeded to ram two into the World Trade Center in New York City, one in the side of The Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and another in a field in eastern Pennsylvania.

Propster said the nation and its people unified to look after each other Sept. 12, 2001, yet 23 years after that tragic day, people have grown apart. He said the heart has all but faded and is gone in many places throughout the nation and has been replaced with anger and hatred, resulting in chaos.

Pastor Bruce Henderson, like many others, remembers where and what he was doing and the thoughts racing through his mind.

On Sept. 11, 2001, 2,996 people died including 343 firefighters and 72 law enforcement officers.

“Parents aren’t coming home,” Henderson said. One of the takeaways, Henderson explained, was life is a gift that’s fragile and brief. He said the Carson City remembrance, like so many held around the country, helps some people return to God.

“My sincere prayer is we never forget what we lost that September morning,” Henderson said, quoting Pastor T.D. Jakes.

Henderson said Wednesday was to remember a devastating day in the life of the country where people united. He worries about the future.

“Our nation has been in existence for a long time, but there are trends tearing us apart,” he said.

Sheriff Kenny Furlong associates 9/11 with the Sept. 6 IHOP shooting that claimed the lives of four people in 2011. The longtime Carson City sheriff commended Propster for leading the community with the 9/11 remembrance. Furlong said the day is not about forgetting but passing down the legacy.

“The mothers and fathers who brought your children here today, you are the heroes in our country,” he said.

Furlong told the story of the late NYPD Officer Moira Smith, one of the first responders who died when the World Trade Center’s south tower crumbled. She was the only female NYPD officer who died that Tuesday.

“Many lives were lost, many lives shattered,” Furlong said.

Furlong said Smith’s body wasn’t found for almost six months, and when positive identification was made, her husband Jim, also a NYPD officer, and their 2-year-old daughter were notified. Searchers identified the 38-year-old Smith’s remains from her badge number, 104467.

“She had been gingerly wrapped in an American flag before the honor guard carried her out,” Furlong said.

Four other officers’ remains were found near her.

“This is one of a thousand stories that lives on,” Furlong said. “We never forget them.”

Furlong said 25,000 people were saved on that day, and 23 years after, he said, “We are still joined as Americans.”

Jim Peckham, executive director of FISH (Friends in Service Helping), said the Bible shows a battle of good and evil. He said he wonders if there’s an evil spirit in the world. Thinking back to Sept. 12, Peckham said everyone came together.

“Five days later (after 9/11), church had an all-time record attendance,” he said, adding there was a need for people to worship and to find fellowship.

Peckham then focused on a two-letter word — “if” — and used examples of if they believe, if they follow me ….”

“We could use some of that now in our country,” he added.

Carson City Fire Chief Sean Slamon uses the 9/11 remembrance to reflect on service and heroism. He commended the first-responders on the Davis Fire and commended his son, a Reno firefighter, and his daughter, a Washoe County Sheriff’s deputy, for being on the scene.

“They are both on the fire line protecting our community,” he said.

Slamon said Sept. 11, 2001 had been a beautiful day in New York City. The world changed when jets crashed into the World Trade Center.

“Chief (Joseph Pfeifer) began ordering reserves,” Slamon said, which included 121 engines, 62 ladder trucks, five rescue vehicles and 1,000 ambulances.

Slamon noted the courage of 750 firefighters that day who responded to the catastrophe.

“Not a single firefighter refused to enter the building to save others,” he said.

He said 345 firefighters followed their oath to their deaths trying to rescue fellow New Yorkers.

“They knew what could wait them when entering the tower,” Slamon said.

One of the heroes Slamon introduced was NYFD Chief Peter Ganci. Ganci was credited for organizing one of the most successful operations in the modern era.

“He joined the New York City Fire Department in 1968. He was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army,” Slamon said. “The chief died when Tower 1 collapsed.”

Slamon said one thing stands out: Of the hundreds of firefighters who died, 60 of their sons and daughters are now on duty with the NYFD.

Pastor Mark Sanders said remember 9/11 with grace and to never forget but always forgive.

He added people should build on the Sept. 12 memory and work together as God’s servants.