Approximately 100 people gathered Sept. 11 at the city of Arnold’s 9/11 memorial outside of the recreation center to remember and honor those affected by the 2001 terrorist attacks that destroyed the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, damaged the Pentagon just outside of Washington D.C. and led to a hijacked plane crashing in a field near Shanksville, Pa.
The crowd included representatives from the Rock Community Fire Protection District, Arnold Police Department and other city departments, area elected officials and area residents.
“We made a promise to never forget,” Rock Fire Capt. Kirk Uhrig said. “It is our responsibility that our sons and daughters remember this, know what occurred and how it changed how the world works.”
Arnold’s 9/11 memorial was built in 2011 on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The memorial contains a piece of a steel beam from the World Trade Center and is just outside of the side entrance of the Arnold Recreation Center, 1695 Missouri State Road.
The ceremony included raising the American flag, ringing a bell nine times to honor first responders, a moment of silence and Mayor Bill Moritz praising former Arnold Parks and Recreation Department Director Susie Boone for securing the beam to be part of the city’s memorial.
“I think it is very touching and moving to have this here,” Moritz said of the memorial. “I remember being on Susie’s team to get this memorial garden set up and bring the artifact here.
“We got a grant to get the artifact. We had a motorcade with a flatbed truck and went to a delivery place off Dorsett Road in Maryland Heights, and we escorted it all the way back to Arnold. We brought it to City Hall, and it was on display there for a little while. And when the memorial was finished, this is what came of it. I thought it was a really nice touch.”
Brad and Amy Kurtis-Smith of south St. Louis County brought their three daughters – Laura, 13; Megan, 11; and Anna, 7 – to the ceremony. The couple said they home school their children, and they wanted them to be part of a remembrance ceremony on the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
“This was the nearest ceremony to our house, and we wanted to teach our kids about 9/11,” said Brad, who is from New Zealand and said he recently became a U.S. citizen.
Amy said it was nice to gather with other people to remember what happened. She said the couple teaches their daughters more each year about the 9/11 attacks.
“As they get older, we explain a little bit more every year,” she said. “With our youngest, we focus on the people who were helping and people coming together after the attacks. As they get older, we explain in more detail what happened that day.”
Arnold Police Chief Brian Carroll said he was impressed with the number of people who attended the ceremony.
“I think every one of our officers who were not on a call showed up to support the event, and there were a lot of first responders, elected officials and community members here,” he said. “The ceremony is very special. I was a police officer when this unfolded on 9/11. This is something that is very important, and it is nice to see the public come out and support it the way that they do.”
Ward 3 City Councilman Matt Saller, who served in the Marines and was deployed to the area of Fallujah, Iraq, following the attacks, was one of the elected officials at the ceremony. He said the Arnold VFW Post 2593 also held a ceremony on Sept. 11.
Saller said it is fantastic to live in a city that continues to remember those affected by the terrorist attacks.
“Every 9/11, I think about when this happened and how it changed everybody’s lives,” he said. “I think about the people affected directly by the attacks, and those who served for 20 years after (9/11). It was a huge deal for a lot of people.”
Saller also said it is important for Arnold to have a 9/11 memorial in a prominent place.
“People drive by it and remember,” he said. “For people who were not alive when (the terrorist attacks) happened, it is a huge thing to have here. After 25 years, the feeling I get is exactly the same as that day. It is a sad day, but it is something I think people should remember.”
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