Dozens of people from various organizations and groups walked Friday from the V.I. National Park bulkhead to Cruz Bay Park in a Freedom Walk to remember those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and in the nation’s wars.
"Your presence sends a message to all that we will remember Sept. 11 just as we remember Pearl Harbor, the only other attack on American soil," said Paul Devine, the vice-commander at American Legion Post 131.
Devine served as the master of ceremonies for the event, organized by the American Legion and the St. John Administrator’s Office. About 40 people made the walk and attended the ceremony that followed in Cruz Bay Park.
The day began with a ringing of the bells in both Cruz Bay and Coral Bay. They tolled at 8:45 a.m., the time when the first hijacked jetliner hit the World Trade Center. They rang again at 9:03 a.m. to mark when the second aircraft hit. They tolled again at 9:45 a.m., when a third jetliner crashed into the Pentagon, and at 10 a.m. to remember the time when United Flight 87 went down in Shanksville, Penn.
The bells rang again at the ceremony in Cruz Bay Park when V.I. Fire Services remembered their fellow firefighters who died on Sept. 11. The bells rang five times in a series of four, a centuries-old firefighter tradition.
Later, firefighter Clarence Stephensen read the Firefighter’s Prayer.
"When I am called to duty, God, whenever flames may rage; Give me strength to save some life, whatever be its age," he read.
Fire Chief Winifred Powell remembers watching on television the Sept. 11 collapse of the World Trade Center buildings. Some 343 firefighters were among the nearly 3,000 people killed that day.
"I knew exactly how they felt," she said.
St. John Administrator Leona Smith spoke about how the attacks wounded the nation, but worried that the memory is fading for those who weren’t at the four sites where the attacks occurred.
As the Cruz Bay Park ceremony began, the Rev. Ray Joseph prayed for those who died on Sept. 11 — but also that terrorists bent on evil may find the error of their ways and change.
While St. John residents held a Freedom Walk, others around the territory were also remembering those who died with a Day of Service.
AARP surveyed VITRAN bus service on St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John by looking at schedules, concerns and conditions that impact bus riders. The goal was to improve bus service so people will find it easier to use it as they age.
