'People are quick to forget': The Saluting Sailor pays tribute to those lost on 9/11
American flags blew gently in the wind. Hundreds of cars blared their horns in support. The gray, overcast sky threatened to rain, but no drops of water fell. John Heidenreich, with his crisp Navy uniform and an unwavering salute, stood strong in the middle of it all.
Beginning at 7 a.m. Sunday, 55-year-old Heidenreich, stood on Eureka Road just outside of Bubba's 33 in Taylor for his tribute to those lost in the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001. He planned to remain there until 11 p.m.
"I'm here today to show respect and honor for everybody that passed away on September 11, 2001," he said. "People are quick to forget, so I want to be out here trying to get people to remember, one person at a time."
A makeshift memorial wall with the names of 2,977 victims stretched behind him, and a large flag hanging from a crane was visible for blocks away. His "skyline" includes cutout depictions of the twin towers, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty – each standing around 5 feet tall.
Known as the "Saluting Sailor," Heidenreich has been saluting on 9/11 for five years. He also salutes on Veterans Day.
Heidenreich said he used to do an 11-mile memorial run in honor of the tragedy, but wanted to find a way to do more and to get veterans and community members involved.
One of those community members is Paula Bush, whose entire family is in the military. She said Heidenreich honors her late son, a veteran, by hanging a poster of him with other fallen soldiers.
More:Vincent Chin remembered in Detroit cemetery 40 years after death: 'We will never forget'
More:Michigan's National Guard turns to dogs to help stop veteran suicide
"Two years ago, my son passed away after fighting in Afghanistan from PTSD suicide," Bush said. "(Heidenreich) helps keep my son alive and all the others that have fallen, and he shows respect and honor the way I wish everyone would."
Heidenreich served in the Navy from 1994-1999 as a combat-certified hospital corpsman.
When he first started saluting back in 2014, he tried to hold the salute nonstop. He made it around an hour and a half before his arm started to lose blood circulation and it became painful. Now, he salutes each time the stoplight turns green.
"It's an honor to just stand here and salute," he said.
He said it can be hard to stand outside for so long, but the veterans and supporters that stop by to learn, talk and salute with him make it much more bearable.
"(The reaction is) all positive. Everybody likes what I do, they appreciate what I do," Heidenreich said. "A lot of people come just to see me on certain days. Some veterans get emotional, and it's always nice to talk to veterans of different ages and military branches.
Sunday was the 21st anniversary of the attack. For some, the memory is clear as the day it happened. For the younger generation, it's a history lesson taught in school.
Thousands are impacted by the tragedy to this day, said Kevin Watson, a fellow Navy veteran. Watson said he knows a firefighter who was at ground zero that day who is now suffering from colon cancer – a fate that has hurt many 9/11 first responders.
"9/11 impacted more than just the people who passed away, it affected many lives and many families," Watson said. "It's something that we should never forget. I hope that in many generations people don't forget this, because it's a horrible day in American history."
Taylor resident and Navy veteran Robert Schink, 65, comes every year to salute with Heidenreich.
"These people died for no reason," Schink said. "As long as we talk about these people and say their names, they're never going to be forgotten."
Contact Emma Stein: estein@freepress.com and follow her on Twitter @_emmastein.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: The Saluting Sailor pays tribute to those lost on 9/11
