Photo By Sgt. Andrew Hillegass | Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Travis Smith and Petty Officer 1st Class Kevin...... read more read more
Subscribe
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - It is a date that is permanently etched into the psyche of Americans who were alive to witness the tragedy as events unfolded live on TV. Many can tell you where they were when they heard the news or saw the first images. Some can still reflect on the emotions that surged through them as the second plane careened into the south tower of the World Trade Center complex.
Each year since Congress established September 11 as Patriot's Day, Americans have gathered together to remember the 2,976 victims of the worst terrorist attack in American history. While many across the nation observed a moment of silence for the victims, service members and civilians assigned to Joint Task Force Guantanamo marked the day with another form of remembrance.
Starting promptly at midnight on September 11, Joint Task Force Guantanamo Troopers lowered the flag at Camp Delta and several other flag poles around the JTF, promptly replacing it with another flag. This other flag however, was not going to simply replace the one taken down. This was being flown with a specific purpose in mind. It would be given to the families that lost a family member aboard the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed in Shanksville, Pa.
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Scott Williams, the JTF Guantanamo flag coordinator, was on hand to personally oversee the more than 70 flags waiting to be flown that had been dropped off by service members and civilians.
"Each flag will be flown for nine minutes and 11 seconds to pay tribute to the family members that lost loved ones during the terrorist attacks," said Williams.
Since the 9/11 attacks, many Americans have taken their time to pay tribute to members of the military and thank them for their service. For Williams, this is a way for the military to thank the victims of the attacks, in particular the passengers of Flight 93.
"We had a civilian who wanted to fly flags for each of the families that lost a family member aboard United 93. It is his way to let the families know that the military is down here, possibly with some of the masterminds of the attacks, and he wanted to thank them for the sacrifice their families made to make sure that the flight did not reach its intended target," said Williams.
With so many flags to fly, Williams assembled a crew that included volunteers and utilized four different flag posts around the JTF.
One of those volunteers was Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Travis Smith, who after the 9/11 attacks was searching for a way to give back to his country.
"I joined the Coast Guard after the attacks, because I had to find a way to serve my county and give back," said Smith.
Smith's idea of selfless service is one all services try to impress upon their soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and coast guardsmen. Those services all touch on the idea of putting something, whether a person, unit or country before one's own self. This concept was on full display as members from the night's detail had given their own time to assist with the flag detail.
"I wanted to take a small amount of my time and volunteer to give back to the families that suffered a loss eight years ago," said Smith.
For Williams, the opportunity to give back to the victims holds an even more personal connection.
"This day holds a special place in my heart," Williams said. "My family is third-generation military and has strong ties to New York. More importantly, my brother was recently wounded in a [rocket-propelled grenade] attack in Afghanistan."
In a speech to a joint session of Congress, nine days after the terrorist attacks, then-President George W. Bush summed up the feelings of the country.
"Each of us will remember what happened that day and to whom it happened. We will remember the moment the news came, where we were and what we were doing. Some will remember an image of a fire or story or rescue. Some will carry memories of a face and a voice gone forever. And I will carry this. It is the police shield of a man named George Howard who died at the World Trade Center trying to save others. It was given to me by his mom, Arlene, as a proud memorial to her son. It is my reminder of lives that ended and a task that does not end," said Bush.
While the flags can not replace the loved ones lost, it can perhaps serve as a way for the men and women who are deployed to JTF Guantanamo to pay tribute and show their commitment to never forget the victims of that day or their families.
For more information about Joint Task Force Guantanamo, visit the Web site at www.jtfgtmo.southcom.mil.
| Date Taken: | 09.18.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 09.22.2009 08:21 |
| Story ID: | 39130 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 225 |
| Downloads: | 213 |
This work, Never Forget: JTF Troopers honor United 93 families, by SGT Andrew Hillegass, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
