It has been nearly 20 years to the day since the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil rocked the nation, taking the lives of nearly 3,000 people, and though two decades have passed, the horror and tragedy of those events has not been eased by time.
For many who remember that fateful morning, even those who were quite young, the memory of that day will never truly fade and each year, the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 offers Americans the chance to pause and reflect on the damage done, the lives lost and the changes wrought by the actions of the 19 highjackers of al Qaeda affiliation.
The suicide mission those militant extremists undertook was meant to disastrously weaken the country but instead, America was inspired to patriotism in a way it had never been before. The mantra that has come to encapsulate the events of and reaction to Sept. 11, “We Will Never Forget”, is one that is just as imperative now as it has ever been and locally, the Pahrump Valley Rotary Club has dedicated itself to ensuring that among those who live here in the valley, those terrible attacks will indeed never be forgotten.
In honor of the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the Pahrump Valley Rotary Club will be holding its annual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony at the First Responders Reflection Area at the Calvada Eye. The entire community is invited to head out the morning of Saturday, Sept. 11 to pay tribute to the thousands who perished in the attacks and honor the bravery and service of the first responders who rushed to the scenes of chaos that came as a result of the four highjacked planes slamming into the World Trade Center buildings, the Pentagon and an open field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
Phyllis Howell, a local Rotarian and co-chair for the club’s 9/11 Memorial Ceremony, told the Pahrump Valley Times that this year’s ceremony was coming together well and she was pleased with the response she had received from those invited to take part.
Howell explained the ceremony will start out with an Honor Guard presentation of the colors, the Pledge of Allegiance, the national anthem and an opening prayer, after which it is set to follow a very specific timeline, echoing the precise times at which three of the highjacked planes reached their ultimate goal. “At 8:46 a.m. we will announce about American Airlines Flight 11 and we’ll ring a bell three times and have a moment of silence,” Howell stated. “The next one will be at 9:03 for the United Airlines Flight 175 and then at 9:37 a.m. for the American Airlines Flight 77, and in between those times, we will have our speakers sharing their thoughts.”
Howell said several notable locals will be taking part, remarking, “Of course, we’ll have Scott Lewis, chief of the Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Service, and Nye County Sheriff Sharon Wehrly will be there. Greg Hafen II, our Nevada assemblyman, will be joining us and we’ll also have county commissioners, including Debra Strickland and Bruce Jabbour. Our Rotary Club past president, Roy Mankins, will be speaking at the event as well. Each president of the Rotary Club has a project for their year, and the First Responders Reflection Area was Roy’s, so he will talk a little about that.”
The event will conclude with a closing prayer and the ceremony should wrap up around 10 a.m., Howell detailed, noting that Mike Hickey will be providing the musical support and there will also be a coffee tent off to the side, in which attendees will be able to find a variety of 9/11 memorabilia.
As for how 9/11 personally affected her, Howell told the Pahrump Valley Times, “I think for me, it was basically a wake-up call that we are not safe from attack from other countries or other entities. And remembering this as true history is an important thing, we need to be sure that our young people understand what happened, how it happened and what the repercussions were. And the purpose of this event here in Pahrump is to honor all of those people, the first responders who were right there, including some of our own firefighters. We’re remembering the sacrifices and the work that was done after the attack.”
Fellow event co-chair Dr. Tom Waters, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, said for himself, it is still very difficult to contemplate the events of that day. “I am still in denial even 20 years later that there are people who are so jealous of our American ideals that they want to destroy us,” Waters told the Times. “However, I was also proud that we came together with one goal, to ensure that it never happens again. We were Americans! Politics were set aside as we functioned together as Americans of the United States.
“My closest friends were Democrats, Republicans and Independents and we debated politics every two or four years,” Waters continued. “But, the rest of the time we merely recognized each other as Americans. On Sept. 11, 2021, I hope we can set aside anything that separates us and remember with pride that we are Americans of the United States and that we will support and defend its Constitution against anyone who would look to harm any one of us.”
Waters himself will be giving the opening and closing prayers at the 9/11 Memorial Ceremony and he said he hopes to emphasize both love and unity through his words.
The Pahrump Valley Rotary Club’s 9/11 Memorial Ceremony is set for 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11 at the First Responders Reflection Area in the Calvada Eye, which is located on Calvada Boulevard just west of the intersection of Highway 160.
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com