PALM COAST, Fla. — Flagler County residents attended a day of September 11 ceremonies with a shared promise to honor the fallen, remember the heroes and ensure future generations understand the events that forever changed the nation.
At the Palm Coast Elks Lodge No. 2709, community leaders, first responders, veterans and residents gathered at one of the area’s public monuments dedicated to the victims and heroes of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
For Dean Yeager, district deputy grand exalted ruler for the Elks’ East Central District, attending the observance was a simple but important act of gratitude.
“I’m here to honor those who were lost on the 25th anniversary, and I appreciate everything Palm Coast does to honor them,” Yeager said. “They deserve to be recognized for everything they have done.”
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said the anniversary carries added importance because many Americans alive today were not yet born when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93.
“So many people in our country were not born when this occurred, and I’m not sure that we educate them well enough,” Staly said. “I think it is important to educate those who didn’t live it like we did.”
Staly recalled exactly where he was and what he was doing when the attacks occurred, along with the extraordinary unity that swept across the country in the days that followed.
“American flags were everywhere. We were truly a united America after that,” he said.
He also urged the public to remember the first responders who ran toward danger, as well as the rescue and recovery workers who later became seriously ill or died from conditions related to their service at Ground Zero and other attack sites.
“We need to remember the sacrifices that so many people made — the first responders who ran toward the towers and the other buildings, and those in Shanksville, Pennsylvania,” Staly said. “Then there are all those who became sick from helping with the rescue and recovery. So many have died.”
Remembering that sacrifice, he said, is also essential to protecting the nation’s future.
“We can’t forget, because the minute we forget, we open the door for another attack and another tragedy,” Staly said. “We always have to be on guard and educate people about why we have Homeland Security. We’re in a different era now, and we always have to protect our country.”
Palm Coast Elks Exalted Ruler Pete Lehnertz said the lodge’s 9/11 monument – a twisted beam from the World Trade Center, gives its members a deeply personal connection to the history and those who experienced it.
“I’m lucky enough to belong to a lodge that has one of the only public monuments from 9-11,” Lehnertz said. “If you haven’t seen it, stop by our lodge, visit it and show some respect.”
Several lodge members helped establish the monument, while others were directly involved in the response and recovery efforts following the attacks. Lehnertz said many firefighters remain closely connected to the lodge and its memorial.
“We know a lot of their stories, and we know who was there,” he said.
Hearing those accounts can be difficult, particularly because many survivors and responders do not often speak publicly about what they witnessed.
“You don’t always hear their stories,” Lehnertz said. “It’s tough.”
Flagler County Commissioner Greg Hansen said the anniversary is personal for him. Fourteen U.S. Naval Academy graduates were killed in the attacks, including his classmate, Kevin Conner.
“It hits close to me every time,” Hansen said. “It is a story of heroes, and we have to keep that alive.”
