Chattanooga, TN - First responders from around the region converged at the waterfront in Chattanooga, Tennessee on 9/11 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Area residents also came to remember those who died, and also to honor their own responders who risk their lives on a daily basis.
The event started with a procession of emergency vehicles down Market Street, followed by a Memorial March. First responders from 40 fire, police, EMS and rescue departments -- some accompanied by their families -- participated in the march down Market Street, led by a combined honor guard, the Chattanooga Pipe Band, a mounted horse patrol and motorcycle squad. The marchers carried with them photos of the New York responders who were killed when the twin towers collapsed.
When the marchers reached the Green at the waterfront, the Chattanooga Pipe Band formed up in a crescent and played "Amazing Grace." While the procession continued to make its way onto the Green, the Mid-South Concert Band played patriotic music.
The formal 9/11 ceremony started at 3:00 p.m. The UTC Chamber Singers sang the national anthem and moments later, two Life Force medical helicopters flew overhead. Afterward, a combined honor guard conducted a bell ringing ceremony to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice on September 11, 2001.
City Council Chair Pam Ladd and County Mayor Jim Coppinger offered their reflections on 9/11, as did the keynote speaker, Third District Congressman Chuck Fleischmann.
Finally, the UTC Chamber Singers sang a moving piece called "In Remembrance," which brought the ceremony to a close and for many, reaffirmed that those who sacrificed for us, and who continue to do so, will not be forgotten.
