SEBASTIAN — Riverview Park’s Veterans Memorial was filled beyond capacity by Sebastian residents who came out to remember those who perished in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, marking the 10th anniversary with words of encouragement and remembrance.
“We are here to honor those who lost their lives this day 10 years ago,” said Master of Ceremonies American Legion Post 189 representative Ed Motyka.
The American Legion Post 189 unveiled a piece of twisted steel salvaged from the wreckage of the fallen Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. The piece of metal will be on permanent display at the post.
“Please remember it and honor those who would keep us free,” Motyka said.
The Sebastian River High School Band led the large crowd in the National Anthem while Cub Scout Pack 589 led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Guido and Kathleen Costa, of Sebastian, attended the ceremony.
“You have to honor them,” Guido Costa, a Korean War veteran, said as tears welled in his eyes and his voice cracked. “Ten, twenty, thirty years from now, you have to always remember them.”
Kathleen Costa said their family did not suffer any direct casualties from the terrorist attacks, but they hurt just the same.
The victims, the first responders – “they were our family – this nation’s family,” she said.
As a US Coast Guard airplane did a flyover of the memorial, Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar addressed the gathered crowd, imploring them to renew their vigilance.
“Look, listen and observe,” he told the audience, adding that terrorism and threats of such are still very much alive and well but can be thwarted by vigilance.
“We all remember where we were” that day, Loar said. “But what did we do after that?”
The nation came together and stood unified – helped each other, flew American flags, chanted “USA – USA.”
“I feel we’ve gotten away from that,” he said, adding that the nation needs to reignite that flame.
The sheriff encouraged everyone to report anything suspicious, explaining that in the days and months following the 9/11 attacks, the phones didn’t stop ringing.
Keynote speaker Capt. Ernest Joy II, US Navy (Ret.), spoke about what Patriotism means – “love, loyalty and allegiance to country.”
Ceremonies such as the 9/11 one serve as a place to reflect and remember, to renew commitment to defending and preserving the country, he said.
“Our country is a beacon,” Joy said, a beacon for freedom and human rights.
Patriotism, according to Joy, is more than flying the flag, voting in an election or attending ceremonies, it’s about honoring and remembering the heroes who work to keep America safe and free.
Vice Mayor Don Wright shared a personal story of that day 10 years ago.
“The 9/11 event was very personal to me,” he recalled, explaining that he and his wife had moved to Sebastian from that area.
Their son worked on the 102nd floor of the South Tower up until June 2001, when he was transferred to Atlanta. Many of those their son had worked with did not survive the terror attacks.
In the city’s proclamation of Patriot Day, Wright called on the crowd to reaffirm its vows to protect and keep America – vows made in the earliest hours of the nation’s grief and anger.
“Our hearts are filled with sorrow,” Sebastian Police Chief Michelle Morris said, addressing the crowd. That day a decade ago changed the lives of all Americans forever, she added.
“We are a strong and patriotic nation,” the chief said, again calling on all to remember the fallen and honor those who serve.
“May God bless and keep us all safe,” Chief Morris said.
