‘We must never, ever forget’: 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Fort Lauderdale airport
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Anna Harris found a seat just to the side of the stage set up in the baggage claim area of Terminal 1 of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
The Deerfield Beach resident did not want to take up a seat seemingly reserved for dignitaries, law enforcement, government officials and airport staff at Sunday’s “Patriot Day Commemoration” on the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“I have friends who lost people, some in the Twin Towers,” Harris recalled. “A former co-worker’s brother called the evening before ... he wasn’t feeling well and mentioned about not going in [to work at the World Trade Center]. He is a very loyal employee and felt bad, but he did not go in. And, unfortunately, the person that took his place was killed. And it’s just heartbreaking. You can’t forget that.”
Harris’ son, Scott Pennington, who lives in Hollywood, works in security for United Airlines, which is how she heard about the 9/11 commemoration ceremony.
“I think you remember exactly where you were and the shock of it,” she added. “I remember flying the week after petrified. I almost canceled my trip from Florida to Connecticut because of it.”
On the other side of the stage, opposite from Harris, were artifacts from the airport’s permanent 9/11 memorial in Terminal 1:
A fragment of the World Trade Center’s South Tower;
A helmet of a firefighter with the New York Fire Department who took part in the recovery efforts;
An American flag donated by retired Air Force Lt. Col. Michael F. Janzen, who reportedly carried the flag in the cockpit of his F-15C for each mission while protecting the country’s borders.
Sunday morning’s ceremony included presentations by an honor guard, a bagpipe troupe and the Women’s Vocal Ensemble from the Dillard Center for the Arts, then officials came onstage to speak.
Col. David. R. Holmes, executive director for the Department of Law Enforcement, filled in for Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony.
“That day hit close to home for me because my wife was a United Airlines flight attendant,” Holmes revealed. “I was one of the lucky ones because I was able to see her that night. She wasn’t working that day, but several of her co-workers were lost. My father worked in Times Square [in] New York. He was one of those thousands of people trying to cross the bridge over into New Jersey and was turned around. And I couldn’t get ahold of him for over 12 hours. I was lucky; He was able to go home.”
Holmes continued, “These artifacts here today [are] a reminder of the sacrifices people made that day. There were over 400 first responders, police, firefighters that rushed into the building to save lives. We must never, ever forget those that still suffer illnesses from that tragic day.”
The airport’s 9/11 memorial was unveiled on Sept. 11, 2016. The Aviation Department has hosted an in-person ceremony or virtual commemoration each year in remembrance of the thousands of lives lost in the coordinated terrorist attacks in the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001.
