As the sunset on the 24th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, dozens of people gathered at the 8th Annual Field of Honor at Automated Conveyor Systems in Lynchburg for the September 11th Sunset Ceremony.
Presented by the Rotary Club of Forest, Rotary Club members sung The Star-Spangled Banner and God Bless America while a retired firefighter who responded to the attacks shared a poem.
The speaker was Tony Cothron, who is currently a professor at Liberty University and a retired member of the Navy. He was personally affected by the tragedy, having lost eight shipmates in the Pentagon.
During and after 9/11, he served in U.S. Navy intelligence and helped find terrorists in Europe and Africa.
To him, the tragedy showed the country that an attack can happen anywhere at anytime.
“It really changed this nation in a lot of ways. It’s very comparable to what happened in Pearl Harbor, we thought we were protected by the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean,” Cothron said. “We have learned time and time again, that we can be attacked viciously in this country.”
Being surrounded by flags reminds him of the shipmates he lost, the pride he has for his country and how this country can continue to heal.
“We’ve got to have open and frank discussion with each other,” Cothron said. “We can’t be screaming with each other and we have to just openly communicate with each other.”