Local officials gathered in Highland Park on Thursday to attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the 9/11 First Responders Memorial — and reflect on the events of that devastating day.
Veterans Outreach Center Executive Director Laura Heltz, who served in the U.S. Army, said she was stationed at Fort Benning in Georgia at the time. She was in the middle of a training course when they learned about the terror attacks.
“That was a very profound moment for me and I’m sure for everybody in that room,” she said.
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello said that far too often, we are consumed by our differences, but his most vivid memory of that day was how people from all walks of life came together as Americans.
“We came together as a unified country. And I think that’s a lesson we still need to draw upon today,” Bello said.
Assemblymember Harry Bronson from Rochester helped secure funding for the memorial, which he said will help future generations to have the opportunity to learn and to understand what 9/11 means to each of us, and to our country.
Mayor Malik Evans said the attacks had a far-reaching impact.
“Many Rochesterians answered the call to serve, whether in the military, as first responders, or simply by showing up to care for their neighbors in a time of uncertainty,” he said.
