‘I saw resilience’: In 9/11 commemoration, Boise leaders stress unity of purpose
In the midst of darkness and a dense fog that hung over the Boise River, light from lamps at the Idaho Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park glistened on the ceremonial axes of a marching honor guard.
About 70 people gathered at the riverside park on Saturday morning to mark the 20 years that have passed since hijackers crashed airplanes into Manhattan’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3,000 people and framing two decades of global events.
The solemn ceremony corresponded with a number of remembrances conducted throughout the country, and was one of a number of events in the Treasure Valley. Gov. Brad Little attended a memorial function at a golf course in Eagle, according to his schedule.
In a video released on Friday, President Biden emphasized national solidarity.
Despite the messaging from leaders, many Muslim Americans, including in Boise, have said they experienced stigma and vandalism since the attacks. In the days after 9/11, the Islamic Center of Boise received threatening phone calls and letters.
“We also witnessed the darker forces of human nature,” Biden said in his remarks on Friday. “Fear and anger, resentment and violence against Muslim Americans, true and faithful followers of a peaceful religion.”
Boise Police and Boise Fire marked the deadliest attack in U.S. history by gathering at the park on Shoreline Drive, near downtown, alongside Mayor Lauren McLean, multiple city councilors and members of the public. The park also includes a World Trade Center Memorial, with a 10-foot steel beam from one of the collapsed towers.
In the early-morning darkness on Saturday, an honor guard marched to bagpipes and raised an American flag at the firefighters memorial before lowering it to half staff. Of the nearly 3,000 people killed on Sept. 11, 2001, the New York City Fire Department lost 343 first responders, and more have died in the years since from related injuries.
A captain rang Boise Fire’s memorial bell, and Police Chief Ryan Lee and Fire Chief Mark Niemeyer carried a wreath to the memorial statue.
The mayor led those gathered in the Pledge of Allegiance, and a moment of silence was held close to the minute the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center, at 6:46 a.m. MST.
In an interview with the Idaho Statesman, McLean recalled watching the events on television from her home in Boise, fearful for friends of hers who worked in New York City’s Financial District.
“There was this unity of purpose and focus in our country at that time, that just yesterday I was thinking how much we need now and I miss now,” she said. “We have so many challenges that we all need to come together and face together.”
In a short speech, Lee talked about his memories of 9/11, and how the events brought together a stunned nation.
“I saw hope, I saw resilience,” he said. “I saw communities and neighborhoods where maybe an American flag had not been flown there in who knows how long suddenly recognize that we are a nation united not by a common ancestry, but by the common ideal that we believe in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Niemeyer echoed Lee’s comments about unity, emphasizing the feeling that pervaded much of the country on the day that followed.
“Right now, in these times, we’re a little bit divided,” he said. “I would ask you as you walk away from today, remember 9/12 ... in honor of this day and in honor of their sacrifice.”
Captain Bryan Sorenson, of Boise Fire, tolled the department’s memorial bell nine times on Saturday. The bell is rung to salute first responders who have died in the line of duty.
“Thanks to all of our brothers and sisters. Rest in peace,” Sorenson said. “We have the watch.”
