Remembering the fallen heroes of 9/11 and honoring those who continue to risk their lives today were key points in a passionate speech that Bonduel Fire Chief Kevin Lynch gave Sept. 13 for Patriot Day at the Sikora Community Pavilion in Village Park.
Lynch, who has been a firefighter in Bonduel for 11 years, told the 30-plus residents in attendance — including a number of firefighters, EMS personnel and military veterans — that Patriot Day serves as a reminder of who Americans are. On Sept. 11, 2001, the terrorist attacks took the lives of nearly 3,000 people — including 343 firefighters, 71 police officers and eight EMS personnel.
“It’s etched into our memory, not just because of the horrors of what we witnessed that day, but because of the courage, unity and sacrifice that followed,” Lynch said. “It reminds us that freedom comes at a cost, and that the shield of safety we live under each day is carried on the backs of those who serve.”
The world stopped on that day as airplanes were turned into weapons, Lynch said. The twin towers of the World Trade Center were destroyed, and the Pentagon was attacked by a plane crash, too. Another plane, forever remembered as Flight 93, crashed in Pennsylvania after the passengers on the flight fought back against the terrorists who had taken control.
“Among those were people who chose to serve while others ran to safety,” Lynch said.
The emergency personnel were living in the moment, from one decision to another, as thousands of frightened people needed help to escape the fiery hellscapes they found themselves in, Lynch said.
“They knew the risks. They went in anyway,” he said.
Emergency crews encouraged those fleeing the towers to keep going down and to leave the work to them.
“Some paused to pat them on the shoulders. Others simply stared at them in disbelief for their courage,” Lynch said. “They climbed, not knowing if they would ever come back down. They climbed because it was (their) duty. They climbed because they swore an oath and because, at that moment, saving others was more important than saving themselves.”
The climb up the stairwells of the World Trade Center has become more than a memory, Lynch said. Stair climbs are held all over the country where people recreate the 110-floor journey faced by many emergency personnel who perished. In Bonduel, with no tall buildings, some who wanted to pay tribute walked a mile from the fire station to Village Park earlier in the day.
“Each step taken is a reminder that courage is not the absence of fear but the choice to act in spite of it,” Lynch said. “The days following 9/11 were filled with sorrow but also with unity unlike anything we had seen in generations. We all remember the day of Sept. 12 — Americans stood shoulder to shoulder, flags waved on every porch and on overpasses, blood donation lines wrapped around city blocks, strangers embraced each other in grief and solidarity.”
The day after symbolized that, although the United States had been struck hard, it was still standing, Lynch said. Even now, men and women still serve in law enforcement and emergency services, knowing their lives could come to an end in an instant.
“Firefighters respond, not knowing if the floor will hold, if the roof will collapse, or if toxic smoke will cut short their lives,” Lynch said. “EMS providers kneel in strangers’ living rooms offering hope, healing in moments of fear and pain. Law enforcement officers walk into volatile situations with only seconds to decide between life and death.”
Brad Luepke, the master of ceremonies for the event, said it’s members of the military and law enforcement who are the true heroes of the world, not the professional athletes and actors everyone idolizes today.
“The heroes sit right here,” Luepke said. “I know people talk about Lebron James and all these sports heroes, the Packers, and everybody’s ‘Oh my gosh.’ These are the real heroes.”
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
