19 years later, Whatcom first responders honor those fallen in 9/11 terrorist attacks
The Sumas Police Department and Whatcom County Fire District 14 were among area first responders honoring the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania Friday, Sept. 11.
Video posted by the police department show Sumas Police Chief Daniel DeBruin placing a rose at the 9/11 memorial near the U.S.-Canada border crossing in Sumas.
“WSP remembers all those who lost their lives on that fateful Tuesday 19 years ago today,” the Washington State Patrol said in a tweet Friday. “We honor those who ran towards certain dangers. And we will never forget the 412 heroes lost.”
Americans commemorated 9/11 Friday as a new national crisis — the coronavirus pandemic — reconfigured and divided anniversary ceremonies and presidential campaigns carved a path through the observances.
In New York, victims’ relatives gathered Friday morning for split-screen remembrances, one at the Sept. 11 memorial plaza at the World Trade Center and another on a nearby corner, set up by a separate 9/11-related organization.
President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden both planned to go — at different times — to the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
In short, the anniversary of 9/11 is a complicated occasion in a maelstrom of a year, as the U.S. grapples with a health crisis, searches its soul over racial injustice and prepares to choose a leader to chart a path forward.
Around the country, some communities have canceled 9/11 commemorations because of the pandemic, while others are going ahead, sometimes with modifications.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
This story was originally published September 11, 2020 at 8:40 AM.
