PHOTO GALLERY & STORY: Sept. 11 remembered in solemn, respectful ceremony
Published 8:00 pm Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Members of Port Arthur Fire Department’s Color Guard enter the room during the 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony Wednesday. (Mary Meaux/The News)
First responders cover their hearts as the National Anthem is performed by Memorial High School Band and Choir. (Mary Meaux/The News)
Port Arthur Battalion Chief Christopher Portie concludes the firefighters bell ringing ceremony. (Mary Meaux/The News)
Memorial High School Choir performs during the ceremony. (Mary Meaux/The News)
Students and members of the audience raise their hands in prayer for first responders during Wednesday’s ceremony. (Mary Meaux/The News)
Members of the Southeast Texas Veterans Service Group perform a 21-gun salute on the porch area of the fifth floor at Port Arthur City Hall. (Mary Meaux/The News)
Memorial High School senior and cheerleader Jayla Clay performs a lyrical dance to America the Beautiful. (Mary Meaux/The News)
Memorial High School junior Bryan Barajas Oseguera reads his essay on The Impact of 9/11. (Mary Meaux/The News)
Sabine Pass High School senior Alyssa Juarez reads her essay on The Impact of 9/11. (Mary Meaux/The News)
Port Arthur Fire trucks and police vehicle line up in front of city hall prior to the 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony Wednesday. (Mary Meaux/The News)
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For Sabine Pass High School Senior Alyssa Juarez the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001 was a turning point in modern history.
“It’s important to understand its significance, not just in terms of immediate consequences, but also from a broader historical perspective and within the community,” Juarez said.
The attacks on the nation that led to the deaths of almost 3,000 people created a ripple effect leading to the war on terror, an immediate military campaign, a shift in foreign policy and economic ramifications.
But it also sparked a renewed focus on resilience and patriotism as well as leaving lessons that continue to guide us, she said.
“Let us honor the memory of Sept. 11 by continuing to build a community that is strong, compassionate and united, let us remember the ways in which we came together in the face of adversity and strive to embody those values in all that we do,” she said. “By doing so, we ensure that the spirit of resilience and solidarity remains a cornerstone of our community.
Juarez and Bryan Barajas Oseguera, a junior at Memorial High School, spoke before a crowded room at Port Arthur City Hall during the city’s 2024 — 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony Wednesday.
Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bartie looked back to the date remembering where he was when the news of the attacks on the nation occurred. At that time he was a justice of the peace and was getting ready for work.
“My entire world changed before my eyes,” Bartie said. “I actually looked at the plane crashing into the South Tower as I viewed Bryant Gumbel along with millions of others on his morning show. I actually saw it live.”
Bartie said the resilience of the American people, and the “grace and the mercy of God sustained us that day, and is sustaining us even until this day and he has not allowed us. We did not crumble on that day, and we are not crumbling on this day.”
A number of Port Arthur student groups participated in the ceremony including Memorial High School Band and flag corps who performed the National Anthem, the Choral Ensemble who performed God Bless America and senior student and cheerleader Jayla Clay who performed a lyrical dance to America the Beautiful.
The 9/11 ceremony paid tribute to the first responders who tragically died that fateful day as well honoring the city’s first responders.
Port Arthur Fire Battalion Chief Mercer Nessour explained the ceremonial ringing of the bell as Battalion Chief Christopher Portie performed the duty.
The ceremony is in memory of those who died in the line of duty and an age-old tradition in the fire services going back more than 150 years. The solemn, slow, methodical sound permeated the council chambers as Nessour spoke.
Through the years methods and strategies of firefighting have changed but the goals remain the same as they were in the past, “to save lives and protect the property, sometimes at a terrible cost,” Nessour said.
“This is what we do. This is our chosen profession,” he said. “This is the tradition of the firefighter. We utilize this tradition as a symbol which reflects the honor and respect of those who have given so much and who have served so well, to symbolize the devotion that the brave souls have for their duty.”
