At the Escalon Fire Station on Coley Avenue, the largest crowd in recent memory gathered for Friday morning’s 9/11 remembrance ceremony. At the same time, just a few blocks away on Yosemite Avenue, members of the Escalon High School First Responders class were putting on their annual display detailing the events of Sept. 11, 2001 and the aftermath.
This year marked the 25th anniversary of the terrorists attacks that brought down the Twin Towers in New York City, damaged the Pentagon, and saw a fourth hijacked plane crash in a field in Pennsylvania.
It was the 20th year that Escalon Fire Chief Rick Mello has had his department host a ceremony to remember that day and honor the memory of those lost then as well as those that have passed since, either in the War on Terror that was sparked by the attacks, or those first responders who fell ill from conditions at Ground Zero.
Mello welcomed the several dozen people attending the ceremony, which started at 9:11 a.m. Friday, and announced that it would be his last, as he is retiring from the department at the start of 2027.
But he said he was pleased to see so many turning out and also recognized the veterans in attendance, thanking them for their service. Prominently displayed was a drawing of Navy Corpsman James Layton, an Escalon resident who gave his life in Afghanistan during the War on Terror.
And while the format has been the same for the ceremony for several years, Mello said he has been asked not to change it, with one of those requests coming from local resident Tami Doom, a United Airlines flight attendant who lost some friends in the terrorist attacks.
Friday’s ceremony at the fire station included the songs “Have You Forgotten?” by Darryl Worley and “God Bless The U.S.A.” by Lee Grreenwood; a chronological listing of the events of that day, 25 years ago, a flag ceremony by the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department Honor Guard, a bell ceremony signifying the ‘End Of Watch’ by the Escalon Fire Department, a poem read by Doom, along with brief remarks and a prayer from Pastor Arney Corbin of Trinity Church.
Mello served as the emcee. He also noted that many of the victims of 9/11, those who perished in the collapse of the Twin Towers, have never been identified, though the work is continuing, a quarter century later.
At Escalon High School, the First Responders class spent time researching topics for the many stations that were set up, from the ‘Attack on the Pentagon’ to ‘Aboard Flight 93’ – the plane that crashed in a Pennsylvania field when the passengers fought back against the hijackers, making sure the plane did not hit its intended target. There was also an update on the recovery efforts and activity stations including placing messages of hope on the Survivor Tree or making First Responder badges and ribbons with messages of encouragement.
Senior Rebecca Wampler said hosting the event and having fellow students and community members come in and tour the various stations is important.
“We make a layout of the whole area, how we’re going to do it, all the EMT, fire science students create their presentations,” Wampler explained of setting it up in the school’s Performing Arts Center as a way to honor the heroism shown amid the terror of that day. “To me, it is something we need to know about and it’s nice to carry on the remembrance of this event.”
Information shared included the fact that 2,977 lives were lost across the three sites – the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania – with the majority at the Twin Towers in New York City. The number includes the 343 New York City firefighters who perished during the rescue effort.
Class advisors Su and Seth Davis started the 9/11 remembrance a few years ago, helping today’s students – who weren’t even born when the event occurred – learn about the terrorists attacks and how lives were changed as a result of that fateful day.
