CLOVIS (KMJ) — The 16th anniversary of the September 11th attacks has been marked in Clovis, in a ceremony Monday morning which included numerous members of the Central Valley’s police and fire departments.
The annual event on the campus of Pelco by Schneider Electric was also attended by hundreds of members of the public. Those gathered heard radio calls made in New York on the day itself, saw a helicopter flyover, a convoy of police motorcycles, and the lowering of the flag in the center of the site’s fixed memorial.
“In my 35 years in the fire service, I don’t think I have been more humble or emotional than I have been today,” explained Chief of Camp Roberts Fire Department John Nielsen.
He told those gathered that he got to know FDNY crew members while on an exchange visit, which took him from the Danish city of Copenhagen to a station in Staten Island.
“That Tuesday of September 11th 2001: that house left and they never came back. I lost a lot of friends, and a lot of really good friends, among the 343 brothers and sisters that lost their lives that day.
“Therefore it’s very important for me that traditions like this can carry on because we have to never forget to remember. Always remember this day and honor those that sacrificed for us.”
A total of 2,977 people were killed on September 11th 2001, in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania.
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
