Vienna event recognizes sacrifices

VIENNA -- John Hinely acknowledged the number of youth who weren't even born when planes flew into the Twin Towers in New York City, into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and crashed into a Shanksville, Pa., field as part of the reason why remembering the attacks matters more.

"We have the juniors and seniors here that have no idea what really happened there, and I think this 25th anniversary has just highlighted that," said Hinely, a 30-year fire lieutenant. "Bringing all of us together and letting us remember together and keep history going."

Hinely, the speaker of Friday morning's annual 9/11 memorial ceremony at the Vienna Fire Department, said he was at home with his wife and young son during the attack, adding they "didn't quite know what to do" -- a sentiment shared by many Americans across the nation on that day.

About 150 people, including residents, firefighters and emergency medical technicians, and Mathews High School students, gathered for the ceremony.

The ceremony began at 8:46 a.m. -- the exact time when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

Hinely said they stood there not only to remember what happened that morning, but to honor the men and women who ran toward the danger when the world was running away.

"On Sept. 11, 2001, 343 members of the Fire Department of New York -- firefighters, officers, paramedics and EMTs -- gave their lives in the line of duty," Hinely said. "They climbed those stairs, knowing the risk. They climbed because that is what firefighters do. They climb because saving lives is more than a job -- it's a promise."

Hinely said they remember the firefighters who responded and carried gear "heavier than fear" and worked in smoke thick enough to erase the sky, but also the fire chiefs who made impossible decisions, the fire companies that stayed until the end and the rescuers who kept searching, long after the towers fell.

"Their bravery is not just part of our history; it is part of our identity," Hinely said.

Hinely recognized the first responders who have carried the attack's weight ever since, noting that many have battled illnesses caused by its toxic aftermath.

"Their strength, their resilience and their willingness to keep serving reminds us that heroism didn't end on 9/11 -- it continues for the families of the fallen," Hinely said. "We know that anniversaries like this are not just the date on the calendar; they are reminders of empty chairs, quiet birthdays and stories that ended too soon."

"Remembrance is not only about looking back. It is about carrying forward the lessons that matter and carry forward (the) understanding that every call could be the one that tests us," he added.

Hinely said that, as firefighters, they know better than most that courage is not the absence of fear, but the decision to act in spite of it, adding that it was the example the men and women of 9/11 displayed.

"Today, 25 years later, we recommit ourselves to living up to their example, to the firefighters we lost, to families that continue to grieve," Hinely said.

Hinely noted what an honor it was to be present, as he has been around since the 2011 ceremony.

He, along with now-former fire Chief Richard Brannon and Assistant Chief Michael Hagood, traveled to New York in July 2011 to obtain the two 8-foot beams from the World Trade Center making up the township's 9/11 tribute.

To get the beams, approximately $7,000 was raised from businesses and private donors who Hinely recognized as what made their memorial possible.

A placing of the wreath followed Hinely's speech, followed by the reading of the Firefighter's Prayer by Kinsman Fire Chaplain Dale Goist and a ringing of the bell by Hagood.