By Naomi Hatch “It’s days like today that make me proud to be an American,” said Snowflake Vice Mayor Jason Whiting as the 9/11 Remembrance began last Tuesday at the Snowflake Fire Station. “It is my simple prayer and hope that we instill pride in country and a deep sense of patriotism in our community, our schools, our churches, and most of all within our homes and in our children’s hearts. That is the only way we will truly never forget,” he said as he honored those who lost their lives during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. “Let’s not just speak, but act; let’s not just watch, but participate; and when you’re too tired to stand, remember to hit your knees and thank the Lord for the country we live in and the freedoms we enjoy.” Once again Fred Carnahan, with the help of the Lions Club, organized the program, which began with a flag raising by Boy Scout Troop 748 and Snowflake-Taylor American Legion Post 126, the singing of The Star Spangled Banner by Julie Merrill and an invocation by Stewart Lewis. Dewey Ray of the Show Low Fire Department played Amazing Grace on the bagpipes while Snowflake Fire Chief Pat Hancock, Taylor Fire Chief/Emergency Services Director Clint Burden and Snowflake-Taylor Police Chief Jerry VanWinkle placed flowers in the empty boots and holster. Then the American Legion pro-vided a 21-gun salute and Eugene Webb played Taps. The Siren Salute followed, with emergency vehicle sirens on for 15 seconds for each of the four planes that went down on Sept. 11. Snowflake Mayor Kelly Willis spoke of his love of country, love of God, love of family, and love of his community and those present. He provided some background on the World Trade Center, which opened in 1970 after eight years of construction. He noted that there were 110 stories in each tower, it was 1,365’ tall, the tallest at that time in the world, had 15 million square feet of office space and employed more than 50,000 people. There were 20,000-plus elevator doors and the elevators were the fastest in the world. “On 9-11-2001, a Boeing 757 and a Boeing 767 slammed between the 80th and 90th floors, each with 10,000 gallons of fuel and 137 precious souls,” said the mayor, noting that 2,977 people were killed, includ-ing 343 New York firefighters. “We are here today to honor those that lost their lives; we are here to honor those that saved lives,” Willis said. He then thanked the police officers and firefighters present for their service to the community. Willis noted that he and his wife climbed down into Ground Zero and the concrete that was left. He said that they have traveled to the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor, to witness the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery, to walk the grounds of Gettysburg and the sands of Iwo Jima, to visit the thea-ter where President Lincoln was shot and President Washington’s home. They have seen the Sea of Galilee, picked small stones from the ground at the Garden of Gethsemane and one of his greatest privileges was to see the Statue of Liberty. “I believe in God. I am one who has never been afraid to let those know who I am and what I am. I be-lieve there would be no America without God,” he said. “If we as a country forget God, then God cannot bless us as people,” he continued. “Today is a sober re-minder. “As mayor of this community I would like to honor and give thanks to all those in Snowflake and Taylor who give so much,” he said. Linda Bradley sang The Lord’s Prayer, accompanied by David Peterson. David Sherman of the Salvation Army was the guest speaker. He watched the attack on Sept. 11, 2001, on TV and saw the second plane hit the second tower. He immediately called the disaster team in Phoenix and asked what they would be doing. “The first time I was in New York was when they were building the building, the second time was when the towers had come down,” said Sherman. He went to help with the clean up, and was stationed in a tent 50’ from where the south tower had been, where he served food. “It was such a somber place,” he recalled. Sherman noted that in the first hour of his first shift they uncovered the bodies of five police officers linked arm to arm. “When the news came, the tent was filled with a lot of angry men with weapons, and they were weeping,” he said. “That day was just a ministry of presence.” “I walked to the pit and looked down almost every hour, and just prayed for those who’d been saved and their families,” said Sherman. “This attack on my country changed our country…It changed the hearts of Americans and pulled us to-gether,” he continued. “I saw firsthand so many people who stopped to look at their lives. You could see in their eyes the pain they felt. Everyone was changed by that day and that’s as it should be. It should not make us angry, but should make us love each other.” “It was a merciless hate that brought those towers down,” he said. “We need to bring a sense of God and a love for others.” He noted that even though it has been 11 years, we still honor those who lost their lives and those who lost their lives protecting us. On Sherman’s third or fourth day there, he met a firefighter named John whose captain asked him to go back to the truck and pick up something. Because he had not gone in the building with his team, his life was spared, causing him to suffer from survivor’s guilt. “He was certainly changed that day, but he didn’t stop being a firefighter. He continued on. That’s what we need to do,” said Sherman. “The most important thing we can do in life is offer someone hope,” he concluded. “It’s up to us, each one of us, to look them in the eye and say it’s going to be all right.” Johnny Kay then sang Lee Greenwood’s I’m Proud to be an American, accompanied by Peterson. 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