20 years later, Sept. 11 remains a “somber day”

Since 2003, the city of Vestavia Hills has joined the cities of Mountain Brook and Homewood to honor people who lost their lives and people who sacrificed to save others on Sept. 11, 2001.

This year marks 20 years since the events of that day, and the annual Patriot Day event is designed to ensure those people won’t be forgotten.

“It’s a somber day,” Vestavia Hills Fire Chief Marvin Green said. “We hate the reason behind it.”

Green remembers the events of that day and realizing that there were fire crews at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, working to save lives at great risk to themselves.

“I stayed glued to the TV until that night,” Green said. “I couldn’t watch enough of it.”

Watching the first tower collapse was tough, realizing how many fatalities there would be, he said. Still, seeing how everyone across the country had a renewed sense of patriotism and a desire to help one another was inspiring, even in the midst of tragedy, he said.

“I would give anything to prevent Sept. 11, but I would give anything to have another Sept. 12,” Green said.

Having the event each year has been special, he said. Vestavia has hosted the event once since Green became chief in 2017.

“It’s really a privilege to be in a position to plan the events and pay honor [to the victims],” Green said.

The location of the ceremony rotates between cities each year, and this year it will be held in Mountain Brook, following the cancellation of last year’s event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event is set for Saturday, Sept. 11, at 8:30 a.m. at 101 Tibbett St. in Crestline Village. Brian Hastings, the director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, is scheduled to be the keynote speaker.

The event also will include the Mountain Brook High School jazz band and usually includes the Pledge of Allegiance, the playing of the national anthem and a salute to those who serve. Typically, firefighters ring a bell for their colleagues who died, and police offer a gun salute.

“We remember the sacrifices made,” Green said.

As the anniversary of the attacks reaches year 20, Mountain Brook Fire Chief Chris Mullins said he isn’t sure what the event will look like going forward. It may not be an annual event, but it won’t be forgotten, just as the events of that day will never be forgotten, Mullins said. “We want it to be special.”

Mullins still recalls the “outpouring of love” toward public safety in the days immediately following the Sept. 11 attacks. People would often stop and say thank you to fire and police personnel, who now include people who were babies when the Twin Towers were struck.

Twenty years later, Stacey Cole, Mountain Brook’s deputy fire chief, remembers the sacrifices made by so many that day, from the police and fire personnel to the Port Authority and everyday citizens.

“That’s who America is to me,” Cole said.

Patriot Day is about remembering them, the heroes who helped unite the country in the midst of incredible tragedy, he said. “I haven’t ever seen the country pull together like that.”

Green said that day brought out the helpers, including police and fire personnel. Having an event like Patriot Day reminds Green he is not alone, and that this country is filled with helpers, he said.