Published: September 13, 2006 08:52 am      

Ceremonies, speeches honor the victims of 9/11 terrorist attacks

Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2006 — Sorrow and pride shared the stage Monday as groups gathered to pay homage, tribute and above all, honored remembrance to fallen countrymen.

The largest group, nearly 600 people, met at the Stanly County Agri-Civic Center for the “Stanly County Pays Tribute” Sept. 11 memorial.

It has been an annual gathering in the county for five years but will change to once every five years from now on.

For the fifth memorial, the keynote speaker was Lea Shimpock, who witnessed and photographed the burning collapse of the World Trade Center’s twin towers.

Before and after Shimpock shared her experience, residents were privy to numerous displays of patriotism by local service workers and residents.

Retired minister George Mullen, who recently moved to Stanly County from Iowa, described the experience as “inspirational.”

Lights dimmed and the stage set to a back-drop of a monumental American flag, the evening opened with song. A prelude from the quartet, The Northmen, was followed by a recorded gift from the New York City Fire Department singing “Amazing Grace.”

From there Students from Park Ridge Elementary School, led by Starr Wagner, filed onto the stage and treated the crowd to heartfelt renditions of “America,” “This Land is Your Land” and “America the Beautiful.”

The young singers exited giving North Carolina sports hall-of-famer and radio voice of the Duke University Blue Devils, Bob Harris, the stage to welcome all visitors.

Harris, who has led the tribute ceremonies for five years, greeted the crowd and made way for the civilian honor guard.

The West Stanly High School Drum Corp, led by Melinda Powell, pounded a beat for the guard, which included Stanly County Emergency Services’ Clarence Beech, Stanly County Sheriff Tony Frick, Albemarle Fire Department’s Brad Jenkins and Albemarle Police Department’s John Morrell.

The auditorium became silent and respectful, as the guard took its post.

With national, state and local colors in place, retired Gunnery Sgt. Tim Pressley, decked in full regalia, led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The crowd was visibly taken in by the familiar creed and applauded to the national anthem sung by Brooke Garcia afterward.

Every head was bowed for Elder Barbara Thomas’ invocation, and then thoughtfully focused as The Northmen’s Johnny Huneycutt sang “Where Were You.”

The song led the ceremony back to Harris, who introduced Shimpock to recount the events of Sept. 11, 2001 as she witnessed them from N.Y.

Her audience was captive as photo images of the burning towers, distraught New Yorkers and candle-light vigils appeared on a screen above the stage.

She described memories of the sights, sounds and her emotions as the day unfolded.

Talking about the people moving through the city and sirens wailing in the distance brought tears to Shimpock eyes and pause to her story.

“You could hear them coming from Long Island,” she uttered and was overcome with emotion.

“It may not have been that I knew someone personally,” she said of acquaintances she made in her daily life in the city.

But “you put these people in your heart.”

Shimpock talked about people she met from her rooftop perch and how they all became friends through the shared trauma.

They had grown together quickly, she said.

Shimpock finished telling her part of the story, which will never really end, and took her seat to a standing ovation in response to her show of bravery and emotion.

The Northmen retook the stage and sang “United Through it All,” before Harris returned to the podium and recognized public safety workers, civilian emergency workers and all military, past and present.

He asked those groups to stand and they did to thunderous applause, their plights perhaps understood a little better. He then explained the significance of the fire bell.

Fire bells were part of firefighters’ old dispatch systems, used much like Morse code, and were traditionally rung in three sets of five tolls to notify all in earshot that a compatriot had fallen in the line of duty.

After the 2001 terror attacks, a 3-4-3 series of tolls was adopted to honor the 343 firefighters lost to the destroyed twin towers, Harris said.

A solemn feeling penetrated the auditorium as Stanly County Fire Chief Eddy McDaniel rang out the 3-4-3 on the gleaming fire bell.

Solemnity gave way to a touch of sadness as the final toll dissipated and Charlotte Fire Department’s Justin Barringer raised his brass horn and sounded “Taps” through the room.

The Cadets of the Civil Air Patrol retrieved the flags.

The colors retrieved, The Northmen’s Mark Hinson took center stage and stirred the crowd with “God Bless the USA.”

Listeners came to their feet and raised clasped hands in the air as they joined in the song.

The volume swelled as the second chorus began and resounded for the third chorus as every light in the auditorium illuminated the respirited crowd.

Harris gave closing remarks and Rev. Nathan Davis gave the benediction.

As the auditorium slowly cleared there were smiles, tears, and looks of introspection along with claps of camaraderie.

Kim Thomas, a former army combat medic, hopes the feeling of unity remains strong in Americans even when tragedy is not foremost in their hearts.

“It’s unfortunate that it takes a tragedy to bring people together sometimes,” she said.

“There is no place like America, there’s nothing like America.”

The night was host to a broad spectrum of emotions for men, women and children of Stanly County who gathered in remembrance of an event that both shattered and united a nation.

It was a closing culmination of smaller, but in many ways equally moving, events throughout the day.

Service agencies, schools, churches and impromptu groups came together in various settings to share in honoring their fellow countrymen, lost to the largest single assault waged on American soil.

The message in each - to remember.



The many lives lost to terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York five years ago were honored in Stanly County Monday.

Firefighters, police officers, school children, military personnel both active and retired and other residents gathered for memorial services throughout the county to pay tribute to victims of the attacks and their families.

Each student at Endy Elementary planted an American flag into the ground as a memorial to those who lost their lives on that day.

The day began with Elizabeth Cook read an address, remembering that day and how it has affected so many lives.

“Each student, teacher and faculty member placed a flag in the ground to celebrate the American spirit, that no terrorist today or five years ago can destroy,” Endy principal David Grice said.

“I would like to thank our student council for making it possible that Endy Elementary School could remember those that perished on 9-11 and to celebrate America's spirit.

“The children that we educate today will be the leaders of our country tomorrow.”

The Albemarle Fire Departmenthas held a memorial service every year following the events of Sept. 11 2001.

“We have been observing the fallen every year since 2001,” said Albemarle Fire Chief Eddie McDaniel. “The last two years have been at Liberty Gardens.

“As the county group will only be observing the event every five years from now on, we plan to continue this as an annual observance.”

The observance followed the time line of events from when the first tower fell. The ceremony began at 9:59 a.m with a moment of silence. The Rev. Tim Pinkston, chaplin of the Stanly County Fire Association, lead the group in prayer.

A fire bell was rung three times to represent the Mayday call for the 343 firefighters lost at the World Trade Center.

The department also blew a horn three times after the bell for an additional representation of the Mayday call.

“I brought my grandchildren and mother,” McDaniels said. “They symbolize, rebirth and what we stand for and protect.”

Stanly Community College (SCC) welcomed N.C. representative David Almond, R-Stanfield.

Almond spoke of complacency that has grown in the years following Sept. 2001.

He shared his hope that people would maintain the highest respect for service workers and let the memory stay fresh.

“There’s no better way to honor the fallen from 9-11, 2001 than to defeat complacency.”

From Stanly Early College students in their teens to professors and graduating seniors of multicultural backgrounds ready to tackle the world, the noon crowd listened intently.

Some faces were uplifted while others were more introspective.

Mandy Springer, 14, with the early college program, was touched by the gathering and the thought of loss.

“It’s important to remember the people we lost,” she said.

“Hearing about them affects me because I lost my dad, not to the attack, but it’s important to remember the lost.”

Qutiaya Clark, 22, is a first year student at SCC studying early childhood education.

She was glad to stay on campus after class and join her fellow students.

“I felt the pain for those people who lost their parents and their loved ones,” she said.