RICHMOND, (WRIC) – Today marks the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks which left nearly 3,000 people dead and 6,000 injured.
In the Shrine of Memory at the Virginia War Memorial, community members, law enforcement and service men and women gathered to remember those who lost their lives during the three attacks on the Pentagon in Arlington, the downed jet airline in Pennsylvania, and the World Trade Center in New York City 22 years ago on Sept. 11, 2001.
“Every 9/11, I think for each of us, holds a special significance,” said the Virginia War Memorial Director, Dr. Clay Mountcastle, in his opening remarks.
However, keynote speaker and Chesterfield County Sheriff, Karl Leonard remembers 9/11 and the aftermath all too well after being deployed to ground zero the day following the attacks.
“I could easily see the burning glow and smoke from Ground Zero just across the Hudson River, and depending on the wind direction, you could smell it,” Leonard said.
According to Leonard, he slept on cots in tents for two months since the majority of hotel rooms had too much uncertainty about potential threats.
“The days were nonstop. You only hit the rack, your cot, when you had a few minutes to catch a catnap,” he said. “This went on for weeks. There were no breaks, no weekends, no letting your guard down.”
Sheriff Leonard’s good friend, Clarence Singleton, who was a former Vietnam Marine and New York City firefighter, heard the news in his car on the radio.
“So I went back home. Donned a pair of boots, civilian boots, and a pair of jeans and put a fire department T-shirt on so I could get into the scene,” Singleton said.
After he arrived at the scene, Singleton soon realized the severity of the situation.
“I lost a lot of friends on September 11, and not a day goes by that I don’t think about them and feel, you know, the impact of what happened,” he said. “If I tell you some of the things these guys have done to save people at the risk of losing their own lives, you’d be amazed.”
Today’s celebration not only has the goal of keeping the memories of those lost alive but also educating the younger generation on the importance of 9/11.
Joy Hanson, a mother of two toddlers, told 8News she brought them to the ceremony for that reason.
“They need to know that the freedom that they enjoy — it came at a cost. And that cost was a lot,” Hanson said. “Being surrounded by that respect for our country and respect for the people that are working so hard to keep us safe and just being in that environment is so powerful.”
