Shelby Fire Department Hosts 9/11 Memorial

In an emotional Sept. 11 anniversary ceremony at the , firefighters, officials and residents remembered those who died and touched a piece of history. 

The morning event, which was timed to coincide with the attacks on the World Trade Center, featured a 12-minute video presentation in which the names and photographs of all 343 New York firefighters who died were displayed. Prior to that, Lt. Inspector Eddie Vojtush led a moment of silence at the time when the first tower fell. Vojtush also rang a bell in three sets of five, the traditional way firefighters signal a line of duty death. 

A television tuned to the History Channel showed the events of the day 10 years ago, while firefighters and residents watched in awe, just as many had when the attacks happened a decade ago. 

At the center of the event was a chunk of rusty steel, positioned at the front of the room. The department displayed its , the metal used as the foundation structure for one of the World Trade Center towers. The department received the beam Feb. 15, 2011. One attendee placed a red rose at its base, while others just stood, cried and remembered. 

“I was born and raised in Brooklyn, and my family is all firefighters and police officers. I watched that building go up when I was a kid,” said Katie O’Leary, a Shelby Township resident who attended the event. “We watched it go up, day to day, get higher and higher. I could see it from Brooklyn. I was here in Michigan when it came down. It was the most helpless feeling. I needed to see this.” 

Shelby Township Fire Chief Gene Shepherd recalled where he was during the attacks and reminded those who attended the event to never forget what happened. 

“I remember standing there in awe, looking at that television set like most of you had done and knowing that people were dying in that event that day. Knowing that many of our brother police officers and firefighters, EMS workers were still risking it all to save the thousands that were there,” Shepherd said. “My hope is that a nation, a state, a community, a fire department or just as individuals, we never forget that day.” 

Supervisor Richard Stathikis attended the event and credited Shepherd for obtaining the beam, which is on public display at Station 1, located at 6345 23 Mile Road.