It was the 19th year that Escalon Fire Department has hosted its 9/11 memorial service, coinciding with the number of years that Rick Mello has served as chief for the department. And, by all accounts, it was one of the largest turnouts ever for the gathering to remember the events of Sept. 11, 2001 and honor those who perished in the terrorist attacks.
Not only does the ceremony, hosted outside the Escalon fire station on Coley Avenue, honor those lost on that day in 2001, but also remembers those who have been lost in the ensuing War on Terror and the first responders who have succumbed to a number of different cancers after spending countless hours at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the attacks that brought down the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City.
Mello opened the program by welcoming the crowd and noting some of the dignitaries in attendance, including city, county and state officials.
“I made my commitment that as long as I’m here, we will never forget,” Mello told the crowd. “Thank you all for being here.”
The program was changed up slightly this year, with music played at different times, the Pledge of Allegiance recited in place of a flag ceremony, and remarks offered by San Joaquin County Sheriff Pat Withrow. Also providing an eerie moment at the end of the ceremony was the sound of a firefighter’s breathing apparatus alarm going off; it’s an indication the firefighter hasn’t moved for 30 seconds. Mello told those attending that the alarms were heard for days at Ground Zero, a chilling reminder of those New York City firefighters lost when the towers came down.
Mello also asked for all veterans in the audience to raise their hand, with others giving them a round of applause.
“Thank you for your service,” Mello said.
The memorial is a time when the local fire department remembers the late Jim Davis, who served as the department’s Chaplain for several years before losing a battle with cancer; and Navy Corpsman James Layton, killed in action in Afghanistan.
Mello provided an overview of the day, with a chronology of the events on Sept. 11, 2001 when hijacked planes struck the twin towers, the Pentagon in Washington, DC and a fourth went down in a field in Pennsylvania, as passengers fought back against the hijackers and the plane crashed without reaching its intended target. The listing also includes the number of people who perished that day at the sites: 2,650 people in the collapse of the towers; 125 people at the Pentagon; 266 people on board the airplanes; 37 Port Authority officers; 23 New York police officers and 343 New York City firefighters.
“Since that, there have been 7,078 troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, there have been over 36,000 responder cancers,” Mello said of the sobering statistics.
A bell ceremony to signify the passing of a firefighter was conducted, a special signal of three bells three times each, with Battalion Chief Moe Silva ringing the bell.
Sheriff Pat Withrow stepped to the podium and thanked those in the fire department, ambulance service, police and sheriff’s department.
“We’re so blessed here in San Joaquin County to have teams like this that work closely together,” Withrow said. “Though we remember those who perished on 9/11, I’m sure they would want us to also remember, every single day, the folks that go out and fight and protect our community.”
Pastor Arney Corbin offered a prayer and also led the crowd in a moment of silence, as those in attendance paid homage to the victims of Sept. 11.
