Hopkins Hill Fire Station Hosts 9/11 Memorial Ceremony

The mood was somber, mostly silent and reverent at the early Sunday night. The event was held to honor the victims of the September 11, 2011 terrorist strikes. Most of the crowd of 65 people included firefighters from the station, their families and relatives.  

Attached to the table outside was a specially-made flag called the Flag of Honor presented to Chief Frank Brown a day earlier. Within the red and blue stripes of the flag were names in tiny print of all those who perished in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

 “We had a one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks in 2002,” said HHFD Fire Chief Frank Brown. “We did not have any of our firefighters on the scene during these attacks, but we feel the loss of just one firefighter because we are part of a brotherhood. So we are doing this to recreate that first anniversary to honor not just the lives of the firefighters who were lost, but all the victims.”

Patriotic songs were interspersed with the Pledge of Allegiance, a candlelit ceremony, moments of silence, the Firefighters’ Oath and a 5-5-5 ringing of the bells salute to honor all the victims of the attacks throughout the hour-long outdoor ceremony.

Reverend Richard P Dixon, or Father Rick, of the International Miracle Center in Johnston, gave the invocation and closing remarks. His son, Richard C. Dixon, is a member of the HHFD.

“Ten years ago, we all remember where we were, what we were doing, what time of day it was,” said Father Rick. “We all remember how we felt. It turned from what we thought was an accident into an act of terrorism.”

“But we have to keep moving on,” Father Rick he said of the painful memories of those terrorist attacks. “Remember that part of Psalm 23 in which it said: “We will walk through the valley of the shadow of death. We must wipe the dust and stench off our minds and hearts. It is important that we don’t focus on the tragedy, but on the triumph. Hope is what keeps us going. We pulled ourselves together and I am proud to be an American.”

Ten years ago, HHFD Firefighter, Scott Brown, responded to calls for aid in New York City. “I was there for five days and helped out the Providence Fire Department Rehab Unit in a specialized vehicle that feeds and hydrates firefighters,” he said. “There were policemen from Miami and firefighters from as far away as California. We all banded together and did what we needed to do.”

After the outdoor ceremony, women of the Hopkins Hills Fire Department Auxiliary provided food and refreshments inside the station. As the group filed in, they silently watched a multimedia slide show of over 1,700 images of the terrorist attacks and the response from the country afterwards. 

“Scared. Sad. Depressing,” described Marissa Pecchia of the attacks. The daughter of recently-appointed, full-time HHFD firefighter Greg Pecchia and his wife, Lisa. Marissa was just four and in pre-school when the attacks occurred. "I can not remember what happened then," she said. We studied it in school last year and we all wore red, white and blue,” said the freshman at . This (ceremony) helps me understand it even better. I liked it; it was really nice.”

“I found out about the attacks from my brother-in-law, a firefighter in Cranston,” said Lisa Pecchia, also a member of the HHFD Ladies Auxiliary. "When he called that morning I said to myself this can't be good news."

“There’s no such thing as a routine call for firefighters,” reminded Dixon in his closing remarks. “Every time they go on a call they risk a chance they will not come home.”

“We thank you for supporting us for what we do,” concluded Brown.

Download the movie

Download the movie