First Responders, Veterans Honored at Sept. 11 Remembrance Walk

Capt. Steve Mossotti of the Mehlville Fire Protection District has seen each call a little differently in the 10 years since terrorists crashed two planes into the World Trade Center, killing nearly 3,000 people.

“It’s changed how we look at a lot of the calls now,” he said. “Every call might not be as simple as it seems- is there something else going on?”

Mossotti, along with Mehlville firefighters Dave Waser and Joe Schmidt, spent 10 days at Ground Zero starting Sept. 12, 2001. They were part of a task force mobilized to help first responders and victims in New York.

They worked 12-hour shifts searching through the rubble for victims, sifting through underground garages with K-9 crews and in the surrounding buildings and subways. 

Now, on the tenth anniversary of Sept. 11, Mossotti looks back on what has changed since the tragedy.

“It’s hard to think it’s been that long,” he said. “It’s always fresh in our minds at this time of year, but this year was a lot different. Everyone seems to focus on the victims and their families.”

The three firefighters were honored Saturday morning in the third annual Freedom River Walk. The VA Hospital and South County Chamber of Commerce organized the walk to honor the first responders who lost their lives in the attack on the Twin Towers.

The walk also honored veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Residents gathered with police, firefighters and members of the Armed Forces to stroll along the trail at Jefferson Barracks Park in remembrance.

After the walk, St. Louis radio personality David Craig emceed a ceremony that honored veterans and contributors to the event. St. Louis County Councilman Steve Stenger sang the national anthem to a crowd of more than 300 people.

“You see how precious life is and how quickly it can go away,” Mossotti said. “We’ve never had an event of that magnitude; so many first responders were killed, it opened our eyes that it can happen.”