Santa Fe ceremony honors first responders on anniversary of 9/11 attacks

Sep. 11—Ann MacVicar fought back tears and clutched the American flag as she reflected on her memories of the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001.

"It's just so raw," she said Monday in Santa Fe, following a solemn commemoration of the deadly event 22 years ago.

Raw, but unforgettable: On a visual level, MacVicar can easily recall the sight of frantic parents coming to gather their children at the early childhood center she was overseeing at Kean University in Union, N.J., and the view of smoke emanating from the World Trade Center miles away.

Much deeper was the psychological trauma the attack had on her young charges. She recalled seeing 9/11's aftereffects playing out for weeks as kids used building blocks to create large tower-like structures — only to knock them down.

"I knew they were trying to work it out, as children do," she said at the conclusion of a one-hour event at Murales Road's Fire Station 1 in Santa Fe. The commemoration, which included a bagpipe and drum rendition of "Amazing Grace," plus comments and prayers and the striking of bell chimes memorializing fallen firefighters, drew about 100 people.

The assembly in the parking lot of the fire station included political leaders, family members of Santa Fe firefighters and students from Gonzales Community School.

Many in the crowd said they came to honor those killed in the attacks in New York City; Arlington, Va.; and Shanksville, Pa., including the 340-plus firefighters who rushed into the World Trade Center and never ran back out. Twenty-three New York City police officers also were killed on a day when more than 2,700 people lost their lives.

Assistant Chief Freddie Martinez of the Santa Fe Fire Department told the assembly those first responders were "charging toward chaos," knowing the danger that awaited them.

He said they were more than firefighters. They were "brothers, they were sisters, they were mothers, they were friends," he said.

Roberta Catanach gets that. Her son, James Catanach, is a firefighter in Santa Fe.

Roberta said she is proud of James and his career. But she added: "I worry about him every time he leaves [for work]."

She said those related to firefighters often are best poised to see "the sacrifices they all make for the community" on a daily basis.

Catanach and others present at the event said they will not forget the day 19 terrorists from the Islamic extremist group al-Qaida hijacked four commercial airplanes, piloting two of them into the upper floors of the north and south towers of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan.

A third hijacked plane was crashed into the Pentagon, while passengers on board the fourth plane, believed to be headed to Washington, D.C., fought back against their armed captors. The plane crashed in an empty field in Pennsylvania, killing all aboard.

Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya and Police Chief Paul Joye joined in reciting a timeline of events from 9/11, giving those in attendance a play-by-play rendition of what happened from the time the four flights took off to the moment they exploded.

Nearby, an "empty table" was set as a symbolic representation of the price firefighters and those who love them pay for their dedication to their work. Santa Fe Fire Department Battalion Chief Nathan Hill explained what the various items on the table — including salt, a Bible, a red rose and a white rose — stood for.

Salt represents the tears shed over the loss of a firefighter; the Bible speaks to the faith that sustains us all in times of loss, he said.

The somber commemoration ended with both uniformed emergency responders and members of the public placing red roses beneath the table in homage to the firefighting profession.

A number of the Gonzales students, all eighth graders, took part in that ritual of honor. One, Autumn Martinez, said it's important to celebrate what "firefighters have died for."

One of her classmates, Yanelie Rodriguez, said she wanted to be at the event to ensure "firefighters' work does not go unappreciated."

She said it's vital to remember the firefighters' friends and family members, as well as survivors of events like 9/11 and "the mental state they go through. They're hurting, too."