Locals commemorate 9/11

Jamie Doran

Valley Press

The fire siren at the Thompson Falls Rural Fire Station sounded twice Thursday morning at 9:58 and 9:59 a.m. to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Once the sirens had sounded Thompson Falls began their morning of remembrance with a parade that traveled down Main Street. The parade was somber, as fire trucks, police cars and ambulances drove down the road with lights going but no sirens, their own interpretation of a moment of silence.

The parade circled around Thompson Falls and ended up back at the fire station for a memorial service organized by Barbara Inman, a board member for the Thompson Falls Rural Fire Station.

Roughly 60 people came out to the fire station to listen to the service, including around 25 students from Thompson Falls High School.

Inman began the ceremony by thanking everyone for coming out. She said that the turnout showed that people would never forget what happened on Sept. 11. Once her brief opening statement was done, Inman introduced Montana State House Representative Pat Ingraham as the guest speaker.

“Thompson Falls will never forget,” she said. “That’s why we are here today. This is the seventh anniversary of one of our country’s worst tragedies, and today we’re here to honor not only those who lost their lives that day, but to honor those families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the losses and changes that day brought to their lives.”

Ingraham continued on to say that there was no one who was untouched by the tragedy of Sept. 11 and that the emergency response personnel “rose to new heights, pushing themselves beyond even their own expectations to save others, even at the cost of their own lives.”

After Ingraham spoke, Inman introduced Pastor Charlie Denson of the Gospel Mountain Assembly of God Church in Thompson Falls. Denson, along with Julia Sampietro, sang a song about courage. By the end, many audience members sang along to the chorus.

Denson then offered a prayer to remember to victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, saying that it was important to never forget what happened on Sept. 11. He hoped to see America rise up again and that it was a blessing that it had been seven years since we had seen a terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

Although Denson spoke of hope and remembrance, he also cautioned that “terrorism is still running rampant throughout the world.” He said that Americans have to keep their eyes and ears open, because we don’t want to become vulnerable to another terrorist attack.

Denson prayed that the patriotism he saw over the past seven years will continue.

“We pray that we continue to have a surge of patriotism in America,” he said. “And that the people of America rise up and be a mighty force, of power yes, but also of good will throughout the world.”

When Denson ended his prayer, Inman thanked everyone for coming to the event and invited all those in attendance to help themselves to hot coffee and cookies on the brisk morning.

Inman said that last year was the first year for the memorial service and it was something that the board members of the fire department wanted to do. “I have a great group of firefighters that really helped get this going,” she said.

She also said that they hope to continue doing the service in the future, because it is important that people don’t forget what happened on Sept. 11.

Cecil Garrett of the Thompson Falls American Legion said that he thought the ceremony was “absolutely beautiful.”

“I’m glad a lot of people came to it,” Garrett said. “Although I wish more American Legion members could’ve been in attendance.”

Garrett also said that it was good to see so many young people out at the ceremony. “I like seeing young people out there who support their country and aren’t against it,” he said. “That’s really good and encouraging to see.”

Several memorial tables were set up with memorabilia commemorating the Sept. 11 attacks in addition to the permanent memorial that is stationed at the fire station.

Also on display were letters from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Montana House Representative Denny Rehberg. Guiliani’s letter from last August celebrated the efforts of the residents of Thompson Falls for their ceremony.

“I applaud the efforts of the people of Thompson Falls for keeping alive the countless men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” Giuliani wrote.

Rehberg’s letter thanked people who used the anniversary to honor the people who lost their lives. Rehberg also said in his letter that “we must each take a stand for freedom and civilization, for the cause of liberty.”

He ended his letter saying, “may we ever remain a land of freedom, peace, and good will, and yet a nation of power and strength, capable of striking any adversaries who would seek to destroy it.”