It’s difficult for many to believe that 24 years have passed since the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. Still, despite the march of time, folks around the country – including in Union County – are ensuring that the memories of the lives lost are never forgotten.
Uniquely, Blairsville has involved its youngest generations in the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony for years, utilizing the Union County Schools Fine Arts Center and featuring talent from the Union County High School Band and Union County High School Chorus Ensemble.
Continue reading with a subscription.
North Georgia News — serving Union County since 1909.
Cancel anytime.
This year was no different, with high attendance from both students and members of the public. The keynote speaker was Dr. Michael Shannon, President of the University of North Georgia, otherwise known as the Military College of Georgia.
A first-generation college graduate and retired U.S. Army lieutenant with 20 years of service under his belt, Shannon commanded authority in the auditorium that morning when he made a point of educating students on the importance of remembering the events of 9/11.
“Twenty-four years ago today, our nation was shaken by a tragedy that tested not only our security, but our spirit,” Shannon said. “For those of us who remember that morning … the images are still sharp. The emotions are still raw.
“We gather here not only to remember the lives lost in New York, Washington, D.C and in a field in Pennsylvania, but also to honor the extraordinary courage of ordinary people. First responders, ordinary citizens and then in the days that followed, service members that stood tall when our country needed them the most.”
One thing Shannon focused on was the endurance that defined the American spirit. As Fire Chief David Dyer said before, “September 11, 2001, has changed our world, the world that you now have inherited, the world that you now live in. But the attacks on that day did not define us.”
That strength, Shannon said, was present in everyone who took up the challenge to be a leader. And being a leader doesn’t mean controlling others. To be a leader is to practice influence and do the right thing by helping others. Leadership is respect. Leadership is serving.
“Fear is a liar, and I have looked fear and evil in the eye, and I will tell you it is a liar,” Shannon revealed before sharing the story of Firefighter Stephen Siller, just one of many heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice on Sept. 11, 2001.
Siller had just finished his shift and was about to go golfing with his brothers when he heard over his scanner of the first plane hitting the North Tower. Siller made the decision to return to work, strapped 60 pounds of gear on, and walked through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel all the way back to the Twin Towers, where he later died saving lives.
“Ladies and gentlemen, he gave his life in the service of others,” Shannon emphasized. “This is just one of thousands of stories we could tell, and as I sit here … and I look over and I see our first responders – ladies and gentlemen, I just want to say thank you.”
Students were instructed to give a round of applause for local first responders, who sat close to the front of the auditorium.
“Our nation depends on men and women who are ready to answer any call, whether in uniform, in public service, in classrooms, in hospitals or in communities like here in Union County. This community needs you, students,” Shannon stated, urging the youth of UCHS to take up the mantle of remembering the lost and being better for it by embodying the spirit of leadership.
While the UCHS Band opened the morning’s ceremony with a spirited performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the UCHS Ensemble Chorus closed it with an ethereal, touching rendition of “Amazing Grace.”
First responders were especially honored that day not just with Shannon’s acknowledgment, but by being treated with a full breakfast courtesy of Allegheny Masonic Lodge #114 and a lunch organized by United Community Bank in Blairsville and provided by The Ark food truck.
United Community also presented two checks: one written to the Blairsville Police Department’s Shop With a Cop program for $1,500, and the other, worth $500, went to the Union County GA First Responders Organization.
“We just are happy to have the chance to have the Ark here and provide for our first responders on the National Day of Service. We always love celebrating them and all that they do for the community,” said Community Relations Coordinator Samantha Thomas of United.
Before getting their plates, several first responders remembered where they were on that fateful day. Some, like 911 Lt. Millie Baxter and retired firefighter Art Miller, were at work.
“They turned the TV on, then we put the bay doors down, we locked everything down, they locked all the federal buildings, all the county buildings, all the state buildings – I mean, they just locked everything down, just like that within 15 minutes,” Miller recalled. “Nobody knew what was going to happen next.”
“I’ll never forget (9/11). That was the day the world stopped turning … It was scary. Our little town just stopped. No phones rang, nothing.” Baxter revealed, adding, “(The luncheon is) a very great opportunity. We appreciate United Community Bank very much.”
Also on Sept. 11 last week, Union County firefighters participated in the annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb early in the morning inside Mike Colwell Memorial Stadium.
“The firefighters, in full gear, paid tribute to the firefighters of the FDNY by climbing some 2,200 stairs, the equivalent of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center,” the Fire Department said. “FDNY lost 343 fighters on September 11, 2001.”
