Unprecedented Sense of Unity and Patriotism Relived in WP
Rick Langenberg
Photos By Cindy Valade
The horrific memories of 9/11, (2001,) the most brutal terrorism attack on America’s soil, were rekindled last week at Lions Park in a solemn but celebratory ceremony.
Teller County joined many communities and cities across the country in remembering the tragic events that unfolded, as part of the 23rd anniversary of a tragedy, described as changing the face of America. At the same time, the immediate response to the assault and destruction of the Twin Towers, and attacks on the Pentagon, creating an unprecedented spirit of unity, is a memory that many local leaders revere. Moreover, it is this spirit of unity they sought to stress and advocate during the celebration of Patriot Day last week in Woodland Park.
“We will never forget in our community and beyond,” said Woodland Park Mayor Kellie Case, one of the speakers at last week’s Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony. “In moments of hardship, we came together. We were bound by something greater.”
“We were not Democrats or Republicans. We were United States citizens,” said local business leader Carl Andersen, who worked fairly close to the area, where one of the main attacks occurred. “Let’s live our lives like we did on Sept. 12 (2001, the day immediately after the attacks). Let’ take the baton from the first responders…We can’t ever forget.”
“Freedom is not free,” said Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell, who admits he has young deputies, born after the 9/11 attacks, who are mesmerized by the legacy of the heroics from this day. He noted that first responders, including law officers, firefighters and emergency technicians, risked their lives in coming to the aid of fellow citizens who needed help. Like Andersen, he noted that it marked a time in which all political alignments and questions about sexual orientation were discarded.
While celebrating the sense of unity that followed the attacks on the Trade Center and Pentagon, the horrific details of the attacks were not overlooked at last week’s ceremony.
““Our country changed forever,” said Teller County Commissioner Dan Williams, who is involved with a variety of veteran-organizations in the community and has played a big role in helping fellow officers struggle with bouts of post-traumatic stress disorder. Williams is a combat veteran himself, who served detailed stints in Iraq and Afghanistan.
For Williams, the attacks led him to the front lines of the battle against terrorism overseas.
As he has in the past during the annual ceremony, Williams outlined the chronology of 9/11 events from when the first plane crashed into one of the Twin Towers in New York City to the collapse of the buildings, to the eventual wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The statistics he outlined were astounding, with both Twin Tower structures collapsing within 102 minutes of the plane attacks. Williams believes that the 19 terrorists, part of the Al Quida network, had sought to kill 100,000 people by attacking the Trade Center, the Pentagon and eying an assault on the U.S. Capitol.
Altogether, he estimated that close to 3,000 civilians died, along with more than 400 first responders, with an injury toll of close 25,000.
He cited the bravery of first responders. But Williams conceded the incident still has many after-effects, such as the suicide-related deaths of an additional 5,000 people who were involved in responding to the tragedy.
When you take into account the 9/11 assaults, post-attack conflicts, Williams estimated the economic and financial carnage in the neighborhood of $8 trillion. And this stemmed from a group that only invested about $400,000 into a mass murder assault.
“We pray for unity,” said Williams, who at various forums, has expressed much dismay at the continuation of horrific wars and political conflicts. “We seem to only come together when bad things happen.”
Most speakers at last week’s ceremony praised the sense of unity that occurred in the immediate days after the attacks and hoped to rekindle that spirit.
The most spirited presentation came from Andersen, who worked close to New York City at a job site. He recalled the surreal experience of viewing New York City in the days following the attack. “It was so surreal,” said Andersen. He also mourned the personal loss of more than 40 neighbors and friends and associates from an adjacent county in New York, where he resided at the time, who never returned from the Trade Center on Sept. 11. “They didn’t see the sunset (that day).”
Lions Park has a symbolic link with the 9/11 tragedy in exhibiting special stone markers, representing the Twin Towers. This addition was done during the city managerial reign of David Buttery, who attended last week’s ceremony.
