SAN ANTONIO, Texas –
Sailors from San Antonio-area commands gathered to
commemorate the events of 9/11 during a ceremony Sept. 11 at San Antonio Fire
Station 1.
San Antonio chief petty officers and CPO-selects gathered
with the fire fighters to honor the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives 14
years ago, which included 343 firefighters.
They also paid tribute to the men and women who’ve volunteered
to serve in the years since, both military service members and emergency
response personnel.
“I just want to say to everyone here, thank you so much for
your service,” said Navy Medicine Training Support Center Command Master Chief
Melissa Foster from Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. “We are here today
to honor those who’ve given their lives for our freedom. Each of us here today
carries on that tradition. We represent that selfless servitude, that
protection of our freedom.
A description of the events of 9/11 was recited by the chief
selects, including the time and location of each aircraft that went down
followed by the ceremonious ringing of a bell. Marines from the 4th
Reconnaissance Battalion then performed a gun salute and taps was played.
NMTSC’s commanding officer Navy Capt. Denise Smith and
Command Master Chief Melissa Foster spoke briefly, followed by San Antonio Fire
Chief Charles Hood, who thanked everyone in attendance.
“Everything that we do, we do without hesitation,” Hood
said. “There were a lot of lives lost that day – the 343 in particular. When
they rolled up to that building, they had a plan. Each person who went up those
stairs, they went up without hesitation, understanding that they were probably
going to die that day. That’s what you guys do every single day.”
The ceremony was planned and coordinated by San Antonio-area
CPO selects with the oversight by the CPO association members, who presented
Hood and the fire department a framed flag with the names of those who lost
their lives in the attacks.
“It feels awesome to be here,” said master of ceremonies and
Chief-select Arlo Bollinger. “This is what we joined the military for, our
heritage. I’m just glad to be a part of it.”
“It’s important because as leaders we have to remember why
we’re serving,” said Chief Peter Quejado. “The attacks brought terrorists to
our land. It’s part of our history now, and it’s important to continue teaching
and reminding our Sailors what happened.”
Commands represented at the event were NMTSC, Navy Technical
Training Center-Lackland, Navy Operational Support Center-San Antonio, Navy
Information Operations Command-Texas, Navy Recruiting District-San Antonio and
the Marines of the 4th Reconnaissance Battalion.