Flag Ceremony Honors Local Responders

A crowd gathered closely around the flagpole in front of Richboro Elementary School Sunday morning as officials led the annual flag-raising ceremony at Northampton Days.

Except, this year, it wasn't so regular.

Northampton Days fell on the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, and the committee was determined to make it a special day and to not leave out that very important aspect of the day.

In tribute to the almost 3,000 men, women and children who died in the attacks, several local emergency officials spoke at the ceremony, led by Tom Yaegal. Prominately displayed in front of the podium was the i-beam from the World Trade Center itself, an artifact acquired by Council Rock South's art department to .

Ed Ingle, an organizer for Northampton Days, was friends with the pilot from Flight 93, which crashed into a field near Shanksville, PA., on Sept. 11, 2001. Ingle shared a bit of his story with the crowd at the ceremony.

"When I heard his name his name mentioned, that really seered it into me."

One policeman traveled from Orange County to stand among the local responders from departments and companies in the area.

Fire Chief Adam Selisker was one of the several speakers at the event who spoke movingly about that day and those who were lost.

"If they were here today there is no doubt in our minds they would tell us, 'Keep fighting those fires,'" he said. "They're tough guys. You can count on your fire department."

Jason Dowd, Tri-Hampton Rescue Squad Chief, said he wanted to be in the emergency services since he was a little kid. When he was 16, he joined the rescue squad and worked his way up to chief.

"I remember being in complete disbelief," Dowd said, referring to the moment he heard about the WTC attacks. "I did the only thing I could think of: I left school and went to the rescue squad. We just felt that we had to be there to answer the call."

Dowd said the reason he joined the rescue squad wasn't to be a hero; it was to help people. 

"We must honor the memory of all the men and women who lost their lives that day," he said.