Ocean City commemorates 24th anniversary of 9/11 attacks

Ocean City honored the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in a solemn ceremony Thursday evening that included laying a wreath at a memorial sculpture made of pieces of steel taken from the rubble of the World Trade Center.

“Twenty-four years. It’s amazing how time flies,” Mayor Jay Gillian said in astonishment while beginning his remarks at the ceremony at the Ocean City Fire Department headquarters.

Altogether, more than 300 people sat in chairs and bleachers on Wesley Avenue to take part in the outdoor ceremony. Wesley Avenue was closed to traffic between Fifth and Sixth streets in front of the fire department to accommodate the crowds.

Gillian sadly reflected on the tragic loss of  nearly 3,000 lives during the 9/11 attacks at the World Trade Center’s twin towers in New York City, the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pa.

However, he also noted that families, communities and the entire country ultimately united in a monumental effort to recover from the attacks – and to remember the victims and their loved ones.

“It is a somber moment, but it’s a moment to honor,” he said.

    Mayor Jay Gillian addresses the crowd during his speech.
  

Gillian and other speakers also paid tribute to the bravery of the police officers, firefighters and members of the military who were killed while responding to the attacks, including the collapse of the World Trade Center twin towers after they were struck by commercial airliners hijacked by terrorists.

“That morning changed our country forever. Nearly 3,000 innocent lives were taken, including mothers, fathers, children, neighbors and friends,” Ocean City Police Chief William Campbell said.

“Among them were 72 law enforcement officers, 343 firefighters and 55 military personnel – heroes who rushed toward danger when others ran away. Their courage and sacrifice remind us of the very best of humanity, even in the face of the worst evil,” Campbell continued.

Campbell also said that 9/11 holds a “special meaning” to those who wear a uniform and help to protect public safety.

“It is a reminder of why we serve, why we put the badge on each day and why we stand ready to protect our communities,” he said. “The men and women who gave their lives that day were not thinking of themselves. They were thinking of others. That is the heart of our profession and what we strive to live up to every day.”

    Ocean City Fire Chief Bernie Walker taps a silver bell for the "Striking of the Four Fives," a tradition symbolizing the death of a firefighter in the line of duty.
  

In his remarks, Ocean City Fire Chief Bernie Walker said the fire service will be “linked forever” to the tragedy that occurred at Ground Zero in Manhattan on 9/11.

“The entire world witnessed group after group of firefighters and police officers enter the twin towers in a monumental effort to save lives and extinguish the raging fires. This was an extraordinary example of firefighters and police officers running towards the danger, not away from it,” Walker said.

In a personal note, he said that the heroic actions of the first responders inspired him, in part, to become a firefighter.

“Now 24 years later, I have the privilege to stand here as the chief of the Ocean City Fire Department and take part in this wonderful ceremony,” Walker told the audience.

Walker closed out his remarks by tapping a silver bell in front of the fire department to demonstrate the “Striking of the Four Fives,” an old tradition symbolizing the death of a firefighter in the line of duty.

Providing a patriotic backdrop to the ceremony was a giant American flag that hung overheard from the ladder of an Ocean City fire truck.

    Ocean City police officer Ryan Lutz, left, and firefighter Kyle Wagner carry a flowered wreath to lay it at the memorial sculpture.
  

One poignant moment during the ceremony was the placing of a flowered wreath at a memorial sculpture that occupies a prominent spot in front of the fire department’s headquarters. Ocean City firefighter Kyle Wagner and police officer Ryan Lutz had the honor of laying the wreath.

The memorial incorporates a steel I-beam pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center. It also includes eight pieces of steel rising in different directions from the main steel girder. The memorial serves as the centerpiece of the city’s 9/11 ceremony each year.

Thursday’s ceremony also included remarks from Gerard Lynch, a retired captain with the Bloomfield, N.J., fire department and an ambassador to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is a nonprofit organization that honors the victims of 9/11 by providing mortgage-free homes to families of fallen first responders and Gold Star families. The organization also builds specially designed “smart homes” for catastrophically injured military veterans and first responders. It also works to provide housing and medical care to homeless veterans.

“Photo ops are great, but they’re all focused on getting things done,” Lynch said of how members of Tunnel to Towers have been helping first responders, veterans and their families, including those touched by the 9/11 attacks.

    The 9/11 memorial sculpture in front of the fire department headquarters includes steel taken from the rubble of the World Trade Center in New York City.
  

    Members of the crowd bow their heads in prayer.
  

    Ocean City Police Chief William Campbell speaks of the bravery of the police officers and firefighters who responded to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
  

    Members of the color guard display the flags.
  

    Former Miss Ocean City Taylor Mulford sings the national anthem.

    A giant flag hanging from the ladder of a fire truck provides a patriotic backdrop for the ceremony.