By MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ
Managing Editor
editor@sbnewspaper.com
Citizens, local governing officials and emergency personnel will – in their own way – be observing the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, but perhaps the most significant of these observances will come Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011 when the city will hold a memorial ceremony to feature one haunting reflection of that tragic day.
San Benito Fire Chief Severo Ochoa said a PASS (personal alert safety system), a sort of transponder locator to indicate a fallen firefighter, will be activated at the ceremony, scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Heavin Memorial Park and Amphitheater, located on 705 N. Travis St.
The significance of as much goes back to ground zero following the collapse of the World Trade Center after two hijacked aircrafts crashed into the twin towers, downing the 110-story structures and killing approximately 3,000 innocent people, including 383 New York City firefighters and 72 police officers.
It’s been said that following the chaos, alarms could be heard from ground zero, rubble that took three years to completely clear.
According to Ochoa, the sound came from individual firefighters’ locators, which the fire chief said are clipped to their gear and chirps loudly should a firefighter be motionless for several seconds. The longer a firefighter doesn’t move, the louder it chirps.
“So when we hear a device, that means something is going on, a firefighter is not moving,” Ochoa said. “You’ll get to hear one extremely loud to imagine the hundreds that were sounding in 9/11, because that meant there were a lot of motionless and obviously dead firemen. You’ll be able to hear what everyone who was there heard at ground zero.”
Included in the evening’s event will also be a flag-raising ceremony and a video production.
For Mayor Joe H. Hernandez, scheduling a memorial ceremony is especially important to remember the loved ones left behind. “It’s important to remember the people that we lost, but to me it’s more likely that we should keep it alive because of the families that were left behind,” the mayor said. “We need to continue remembering 9/11 and keep the families in our prayers. It’s something that should never be forgotten.”
Like most people will be doing this weekend, San Benito Police Chief George Gomez shared where he was when he heard the news.
“For me, as a police officer, I remember that morning vividly. We had just gone to a call and on the way back we heard about a plane hitting the Empire State Building. But when we got back to the station and turned on a TV inside the briefing room, we saw that it was the World Trade Center, and the second plane had just hit the north tower. That was devastating. To see all those policemen and firemen going in there not knowing the towers were coming down… it stays with you,” Gomez said.
The police chief said officers will also be participating, along with the firefighters and EMS personnel in the 9/11 memorial ceremony on Sunday. “We’re going to participate as far as the raising of the flag, and the fire department will, of course, turn on their locaters,” Gomez said.
Others in San Benito who’ve observed the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks include ABC Playschool, where the children formed two rows to represent two towers before releasing nearly 60 balloons on Friday.
To see this story in print, pick up a copy of the Sept. 11 edition of the San Benito News. Or view our E-Edition by clicking here.
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