Murphy – It was under a hot sun that service men and women in full dress, and local residents, gathered on the front steps of the Cherokee County Courthouse.
Hats were lowered and hands clasped as Chaplain J.D. Baker of American Legion Post 96 opened the ceremony with prayer.
Roy Hopkins and his wife, Patti VanDenmark, spent the evening before the event pinning gold safety pins to “We will always remember” ribbons, which they passed around to the 120 people who attended. Hopkin’s son served as a fire marshal for the New York Fire Department in 2001.
“He lost many friends in that attack,” Hopkins said of his son.
Receiving one of those ribbons was County Commissioner Jan Griggs, a former Marine who was on active duty in September 2001.
“Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing on that day,” she said, adding, “W@e must always remember their sacrifice.”
A color guard stood at attention during the National Anthem. The crisp march to the front of the courthouse added to the somber formality.
Marlynne Massey was emotional standing among the crowd. She was on board the USS Consolation in the Pacific Ocean as part of the medical team when the planes crashed into the towers. She boarded the vessel just three days before Sept. 11, 2001, and remembers the service members as jovial and happy.
“After the attack,” she said, “I watched those boys turn into men in a matter of hours.”
Commander Rich LeCount from the American Legion Post 96 spoke about the aftereffects that still grip service men and women who fought after towers collapsed.
“(On average) 22 service members commit suicide every day,” he said.
LeCount added that he wasn’t speaking to offer a “pep talk,” but rather to express his anger at how the nation has failed to thrive since that day 20 years ago.
“This nation must not be destroyed by COVID or 911,” he said. “We’ve made progress for 245 years, and we must continue to make progress.”
Alan Andrews ended the ceremony with a solemn performance of “Amazing Grace” on bagpipes. The crowd stood motionless as he played watching the Color Guard, which stood at full attention for the entire ceremony under a giant U.S. flag.