Lake County remembers victims, first responders on 9/11 anniversary

A special remembrance service was held at the Lake County Historical Courthouse on Sunday in honor of those lives lost in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. This solemn tribute included two first-hand accounts of first responders who were there on the ground and the reading of the victims’ names.

“We promise to never forget,” Tavares Fire Chief Richard Keith said. “To never forget the attack itself, but more importantly, to never forget those innocent Americans who fell victim to the attack. To never forget the left-behind families of those who fell and those who paid a terrible price for the work they did in recovery efforts in the month and years following the attack.”

The ceremony featured a lineup of local first responders and was attended by many local city, county and state leaders. The Lake County Teen Court and W.I.L.A. read aloud the name of the victims with a bell chime in their remembrance.

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But perhaps the most unique part of the service came with two first-hand accounts, from retired New York Fire Department first responder Bob Kane and current Clermont Police Chief Charles Broadway.

Former New York firefighter recalls that horrible day

Kane, 84, is a Marine veteran and 25-year retired lieutenant from Ladder 123 in New York. He also established The Villages FDYN 343 memorial club.

“Today I look out over the young people in the audience and I think, this is a special gift,” Kane said. “How do I explain to them what it took for men to go into a towering inferno, knowing full well they may never come out?”

Kane continued to tell the story of John and Walter, who stood with him that day. He said these young men had the ability to put a smile on your face every time you saw them. They both studied in school when not on duty and both earned a law degree.

“I want you to remember their names and their stories,” Kane said. “We can only imagine what they would have accomplished had they survived that day. When you’re feeling down, think of them.”

Clermont's police chief served with NYPD during 9/11

Broadway is a 26-year law enforcement veteran, serving at the NYPD during 9/11. He came to Clermont in 2010 as captain and was appointed chief in 2012.

“First responders, true heroes, rushed into those buildings while uncertain about their own personal safety,” Broadway said. “These are actions our first responders take every single day to serve others.”

Broadway recalled that day he was called back into work after just getting off at 2 a.m.

“I got a call that said come back to work, a plane just crashed into the World Trade Center,” Broadway said. “I raced back into the city. Twenty-one years ago today I was assigned to the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge. We didn’t know what was going on. A second plane crashed. The towers started crumbling. Cellphone towers were down. People were breaking down in the streets. It was visibly emotional.”

Broadway was part of the search and rescue crew at ground zero; however, his reality was not a rescue mission, but recovery efforts.

“A line of firefighters and police officers would pass buckets of rubble to carefully look through the rubble to find human remains and belongings of the victims,” Broadway said. “It looked like a war zone.”

Broadway’s vivid recount brought tears to the eyes of those who listened.

“At the end of the day, it’s not about me, it’s about what I did and what other first responders did when the opportunity was given to us to protect someone else,” Broadway said. “I’ve learned that with great challenges, come great lessons learned.”

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Lake County, Florida pauses to mark 9/11 anniversary