Suffolk News-Herald

More than 50 candles flickered against the evening sky on Saturday as Suffolk residents remembered the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

About five dozen people -including many police officers and firefighters – turned out for the ceremony outside the Suffolk Seaboard Station and Railroad Museum. The event was sponsored by the Citizens Academy Alumni, a group of graduates from the Suffolk Police Department’s citizen police academy.

&uot;This was the most tragic event in modern history for Americans,&uot; said Mayor Bobby Ralph. &uot;The images of Sept. 11, 2001 will never be forgotten.&uot;

Donna Perry, who organized the ceremony, reiterated his words.

&uot;We vividly remember the shock as we watched planes hit the symbols of our strength, the horror as we watched people jump to their deaths, the fear in the voices of our families and friends, the dread in our own hearts,&uot; she said. &uot;On that day, we forever lost our sense of security in our own land.

&uot;The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 were designed to cripple and demoralize the greatest nation on Earth. But, in fact, they had the opposite effect. Three years later, America is stronger than ever.&uot;

While the tragedies of that day depict senseless brutality by people, those same events have brought out the best in millions of people around the world, Perry said.

&uot;I see 9-11 as an example of how everyday people, alongside those who are duty-bound to serve, were able to come together, save lives and comfort each other,&uot; Perry said.

&uot;As people responded to the attacks, and as news of them spread, we saw thousands – if not millions – of people around the globe exemplifying the best that humanity has to offer.

&uot;Sept. 11 is about human tragedy but more importantly, it is about the will of humans to overcome such a tragedy.&uot;

Bill and Ginger Owen, whose daughter is a firefighter, brought their grandchildren, Maya and Noah Cross, to the ceremony.

&uot;We came in memory of what happened of Sept. 11,&uot; said Bill Owen. &uot;We don’t want to forget all those lives that were lost that day.&uot;

&uot;And we don’t want future generations to forget it,&uot; Ginger Owen added, her hands on Maya’s shoulder.