PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Twenty-two years on, Philadelphia's annual ceremony to remember the nearly 3,000 victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks was as much about reflecting on tragedy as it was about honoring courage, sacrifice and resilience.
Tumar Alexander, the city’s managing director who spoke on behalf of Mayor Jim Kenney, expressed appreciation to the brave men and women lost on that day.
“Today we come together to remember a tragic day in history. A day that forever changed the way we think about courage, sacrifice and resilience,” Alexander said.
This was the first year the U.S. Navy participated in the city’s annual commemoration.
Philadelphia police, the fire department, and Drum Corp led a procession into the courtyard of the Betsy Ross House and Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel rang a bell for the firefighters who did not return to their quarters.
“We utilize these traditions as symbols which reflect honor and respect on those who have given so much and have served so well. Their tasks completed, their duties well done. To our comrades, their last alarm, they are going home,” said First Deputy Police Commissioner John Stanford.
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“For those of us who remember that day, we experienced one of the worst moments in time in this country, but we also witnessed the best in humanity and the response that would follow. We must never forget our first responders and their selfless actions on September 11.”
The union that represents firefighters in New York City says the toll on its members has increased over time, with the number who have died from rare cancers and diseases caused by the toxic dust at Ground Zero nearly equaling those who died on 9/11.