Never forget: Federal Way hosts tribute to those who died in 9/11

Ambulances, police cars and fire trucks overflowed from Station 64 and out into the road on Sept. 11. Instead of being there to respond to a tragedy, their operators gathered with the community to remember one.

“As first responders, we stood shoulder to shoulder, regardless of rank or agency. We have a common purpose in serving our communities,” Federal Way Police Chief Andy Hwang said in a speech at the 9/11 Memorial Event, held at South King Fire Station 64.

Approximately 60 community members were in the audience to honor those lost in the national tragedy that took place on Sept. 11, 2001. At their back stood dozens of emergency responders in uniform from various departments in the area.

Chief Hwang said he hopes the memory of the attacks can be something that “bridges the divides and overcomes adversity, and can be the link between the past and the future.”

Several other speakers shared their thoughts and memories of that day, including Colonel Michael F. Keenan. He is retired from both the United States Air Force and United Airlines, and shared his experiences in these roles in the aftermath of the attacks.

Thomas Jernigan drove from North Seattle to attend the memorial. He grew up in New York and has many family and friends who were impacted by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / The Mirror

Event attendee Thomas Jernigan grew up in New York and made the trip to Federal Way from North Seattle. He told The Mirror that he makes sure to attend a 9/11 memorial event each year, saying he feels it is his responsibility as a New Yorker.

“I have three cousins that used to work for the [New York police]. Two retired, one passed away,” he said. These three family members lived through the attack, but another distant cousin did not. He still remembers the way his mother screamed into the phone to tell him to turn on the TV when the news broke that day.

Jernigan also has several friends who worked in the area when the attacks came. He said he tries to be there for them, but that “some of them don’t want to talk about it because it was so traumatizing.”

When Jernigan visited ground zero for the first time in 2004, he “just stood on the corner and cried.” He said being at Monday’s event “brings back some of the feelings from that day.” Looking at the steel beam from the World Trade Center at the Federal Way memorial was a strange feeling for him. The buildings were “towering over me growing up and now they are just gone. Looking at the beam makes you wonder if you had ever walked on that floor.”

Community members view the permanant memorial display at Fire Station 64. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / The Mirror

Jernigan said that at the end of the day, it is not about the buildings, but about the people, and that it is important to remember that there are still over 1,000 people who haven’t been found or identified.

Guests Hilda Meryhew and Sue Van Dyken of the Daughters of the American Revolution said that they are just thinking about the families who are grieving. Meryhew donated a flag that is part of the display inside the firehouse.

In a press release, South King Fire officials shared that they are proud to have the most complete memorial on the West Coast and that it includes items from all three 9/11 crash sites. These include a steel beam from the World Trade Center’s twin towers, a stone excavated from the field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and a limestone building block from the Pentagon. A black granite wall surrounds the items and is engraved with the names of each of the 2,977 people who lost their lives in the attack, including 343 firefighters and 60 police officers.

When the event ended, community members, active first responders and retirees were invited to introduce themselves to someone they hadn’t met before and to be there for each other. Many stayed after to talk and appreciate the memorial at the fire station that had been freshly bedecked with roses. Many seemed to be embodying Chief Hwang’s invitation to “continue to honor the legacy of our fallen leaders by striving to make a positive impact on the lives of others.”