To honor the 25th anniversary of 9/11, several community members gathered in Grapevine and Southlake.
Grapevine officials gathered at the 9/11 Flight Crew Memorial for a ceremony at 7:30 a.m. before embarking on the city’s first March 455, which honored the first responders killed Sept. 11, 2001.
The Grapevine High School wrestling team held its 7th Annual 9/11 Tribute Stair Climb at 7:30 a.m. at Mustang Panther Stadium. Southlake officials issued a proclamation of remembrance and a first responder from New York spoke to those gathered.
City of Grapevine ceremony
Community members and first responders gathered at the city’s 9/11 Flight Crew Memorial, located at 1000 Texan Trail, for a ceremony honoring those who died during the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The ceremony included two moments of silence, at 7:46 a.m. and 8:03 a.m., marking when the first two planes struck the Twin Towers.
Brian Smith, Dallas-Fort Worth Domicile Chair for the Allied Pilots Association, a pilots union, read the names of eight pilots killed. At the time of the attacks, he said he was a pilot based in Washington, D.C.
“25 years later, an entire generation only knows September 11th as a history, just stories that they've heard,” Smith said. “But for many of us, probably most of us here this morning, it remains a memory and a painful one at that. I don't think any of us are going to ever forget where we were the moment we understood that we were under attack as a nation, and that things were never going to be the same.”
Following the ceremony, local police and firefighters participated in the March 455, a 1.3-mile walk from the 9/11 Flight Crew Memorial to Grapevine’s Peace Plaza.
Grapevine High School
The 7th Annual 9/11 Tribute Stair Climb, hosted by the Grapevine High School wrestling team, commenced at 7:30 a.m. at Mustang Panther Stadium.
The event was started to honor the 412 emergency responders who died during the events in New York and Washington, D.C.
Grapevine wrestlers joined first responders, community members, city council members, and board of trustees representatives in making the trek up and down the visitors’ bleachers, replicating the 110 flights of stairs at the Twin Towers.
New wrestling coach Michael Mitchell, who came over from Azle, learned of the event before moving to town. He said his wife made a post about good places to live and eat and someone messaged his wife, relaying interest in sponsoring this event.
That is how Mitchell learned about the tradition, days after being hired.
“Just the community coming together is great,” he said. “The booster club, the city council members from Grapevine, Colleyville and Euless. All the first responders have been supportive. Everyone was willing to help and to me, that is not a very common thing in places. Seeing a community support something like this is just amazing. I didn’t know what to expect or who would show up.”
Mitchell had around 30 wrestlers running the stairs, and those who did not run due to injury handed out water or sports drinks donated by the HEB Mid Cities location in Euless.
“It’s really nice to see that people are honoring 9/11 and they are here to support our school and our team,” sophomore wrestler Melany Gonzalez said. “To see them pushing through [the stairs] makes us push through and want to do more.”
City of Southlake ceremony
Firefighters, police officers, community members and city officials gathered at the Renewal and Remembrance sculpture in Liberty Garden for a remembrance service on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
There were 2,977 American Flags placed around the sculpture, one for each person who lost their life during the attack.
The event included a testimonial from Bill Johnson, a resident of Southlake and former New York Police Department detective who worked on recovery efforts after September 11th.
Mayor Shawn McCaskill read a city proclamation about remembrance and service in the wake of 9/11.
The event also included an appearance by the Southlake Community Band and a ceremonial bell ringing and moments of silence. The bell was rung 7 times, each followed by a moment of silence to remember events from the day of the attack and those affected by its aftermath.
