A family gathers during a candlelight vigil Thursday at the Clark County Amphitheater commemorating the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Friday, Sept. 12, 2008 | 9:19 a.m.
Summerlin resident Tom Brassil lost nearly 20 friends on Sept. 11, mostly sons of former fellow New York City firefighters.
On this Sept. 11, Brassil chose to honor them in a memorial service held at Clark County Amphitheater. While he sifted through memories punctuated by both sadness and resolve, he was surrounded by other current and former first responders and law enforcement personnel who represented nearly every such agency in Southern Nevada.
Interspersed between patriotic songs sung by the Palo Verde High School group “Vocal Infinity,” speakers highlighted the service of public servants and the grief suffered by families of the Sept. 11 victims.
“Look at the public servants,” Clark County Undersheriff Rod Jett said. “Look at the American flag. I don’t think we get reminded enough each day what this country is about.”
Clark County Sheriff Douglas Gillespie said more than 400 emergency personnel perished in the aftermath of Sept. 11.
“They responded with no fear or hesitation,” he said. “They are models to all Americans to pursue a higher level of humanity.”
Henderson Fire Chief Douglas Stevens also hailed the efforts of rescuers.
“They knew the risk,” he said. “We knew they saved lives with their sacrifice.”
He recognized the burdens carried by children of the fallen.
“As a parent, I’d like to put into perspective that a 3-year-old who lost his father is now 10 and growing up,” Stevens said.
The Southern Nevada Search and Rescue Task Force, including two Henderson firefighters, traveled to New York City after the incident to aid the rescue effort.
Las Vegas firefighters brought part of their experience back with them. Las Vegas Fire Chief Greg Gammon said a twisted piece of World Trade Center steel sits in front of the Charleston Boulevard fire station. Since its arrival, it has attracted neighborhood attention.
“I saw people come up place their hand on it and bow their head,” he said.
Other remembrances include the scaling of the tallest peak in each state by teams of police officers. On Thursday, such a team was climbing Nevada’s more than 13,000-foot-tall Boundary Peak west of Tonopah.
Clark County Fire Department Senior Deputy Chief Stephen Ratigan spoke of a spirit of unity forged by the attacks, which he said stunned the nation but also imbued people with a new found sense of responsibility.
“We have learned we have more in common than the differences that divide us,” he said.
Gillespie said the nation has weathered war, recession, doubt and fear in the past seven years. But he called that same time frame a period of growth.
“Those that were lost will never be forgotten,” he said, before a candlelit vigil gave a flickering finale to the memorial.
Dave Clark can be reached at 990-2677 or [email protected].
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