(WWJ) Emotional gatherings took place across Metro Detroit Friday to honor the heroes of September 11 2001, and Michigan's own emergency workers who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Dozens of Detroit police officers, in masks, sat socially distanced in the outdoor ceremony at Campus Martius Park.
Detroit Police Chief James Craig spoke: "They (today's police and firefighters) serve with the same dedication and bravery as those who sacrificed their lives on that faithful September day. Let us not forget our fallen officers who continue to inspire us with their unparalleled honor, courage and professionalism."
The U.S. Salvation Army Band played the bugles and sang the National Anthem.
Mayor Mike Duggan was also present for remarks.
Meanwhile; in Oakland County; loved ones and colleagues of emergency workers who lost their lives saving others attended the Fallen Heroes 9/11 Memorial in Pontiac.
Memorial founder and Oakland County Sheriff, Mike Bouchard served as the master of ceremonies.
"More police and fire died on that day (9/11) than any other specific day in the history of our country," Bouchard said. "They did so doing what those men and women do every day, running toward danger to save people they will never know."
More than 400 emergency workers died in the 9/11 attacks at the World Trade Center in New York City and The Pentagon in Washington D.C.
Closer to home, officers and firefighters spoke with tears in their eyes about their own brothers and sisters in their departments who died in the line of duty.
"That hole never goes away for the families...." Bouchard said at the ceremony in Pontiac. "....And I know I've got numerous classmates from my academy on that wall...and I'm sure all of us do."
9 officers and firefighters were immortalized on the Fallen Heroes Memorial Wall Friday, located on Telegraph Road near the Oakland County Circuit Courthouse. More than 800 names were already etched onto it.
-Sivad H. Johnson, Detroit Fire Department. Sergeant Sivad Johnson died in August 2020 after jumping into the Detroit River near Belle Isle to save three young drowning girls. He is survived by his wife, and two daughters, 10 and 17. His youngest was with him when he jumped into the river. He was 48. End of watch: August 22, 2020.
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-Waldis "Jay" Johnson, Detroit Police Department. Officer Johnson died more than three years after suffering a traumatic brain injury, from a shooting while repsonding to a domestic violence call on Joy Road. He is survived by his wife, daughter and two sons. He was just 48 years old. End of watch: May 31, 2020.
-Scott James Larkins, Detroit Police Department. Officer Larkins died in 2008, decades after a sniper "ambushed" him with gunfire. Larkins was leaving a restaurant with his partner on East Jefferson when it happened in fall of 1978, according to the Officer Down Memorial Foundation. He was forced to medically retire afterward. He was 58 years old when he died, and only 28 when he was shot. He is survived by a wife and seven children. End of watch: March 9, 2008.
-Joseph Liedel, Monroe Township Fire Department: Captain Joseph Liedel died nearly a month after suffering a brain bleed while on duty in July 2020. He served the department for nearly 30 years. He was 48. End of watch: August 23, 2020.
Related: Governor Whitmer Orders Flags At Half-Staff Monday For Late Monroe County Fire Captain
-Rasheen P. McClain, Detroit Police Department. Officer McClain was shot in the neck by a man with a high-powered rifle while responding to a home invasion in progress, in November 2019 near Wyoming and 8 Mile road. He was 46 years old. He is survived by a wife and three step children. End of watch: November 20, 2019.
Related: 'He Loved What He Did': Fallen Detroit Officer Remembered At Vigil
-Jonathan Parnell, Detroit Police Department. Captain Jonathan Parnell caught COVID-19 while on duty in March 2020. He served the department for three decades. CNN reports that, just hours before dying of the virus, he spoke to two colleagues saying he was looking forward to coming back to work. He was 50. He is survived by three sons. End of watch: March 24, 2020.
-Steven A. Splan, Bloomfield Hills Police Department. Sergeant Splan died of a heart attack while chopping down a fallen tree on Bloomfield Parkway near Woodward Avenue in August. He had a wife and four children. The 15-year veteran was 46. End of watch: August 2, 2020.
-Michael J. Tralka, Detroit Police Department. Officer Tralka was pronounced dead, after being knocked unconscious during a struggle while responding to a family disturbance in the Jefferson Chalmers Neighborhood in the early eighties, according to The Officer Collin Rose Memorial Foundation. He was only 30 years old. End of watch: April 14, 1981.
-Franklin D. Williams Jr., Detroit Fire Department. Captain Williams died after contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty. The Detroit News reports the 57-year-old fought for weeks, before passing way from heart disease related to the virus. He was survived by a wife and seven children. End of watch: April 8, 2020.
