FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - The Fort Lauderdale community is paying tribute on the 25th anniversary of the tragic Sept. 11 attacks.
Friday morning, a visible and powerful reminder was hung above one of Fort Lauderdale’s busiest roads as two Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue trucks suspended a massive U.S. flag over Broward Boulevard.
The flag is a tribute to the nearly 3,000 people who were killed on Sept. 11, 2001 and the first responders who ran toward danger that morning.
Among those killed were over 400 members of law enforcement who answered the call and never made it home.
Over 2,500 civilians lost their lives, and over the last 25 years, more than 5,000 others have died from 9/11-related illnesses.
The suspended flag flew over Broward Boulevard throughout Monday morning until around 10 a.m., giving drivers a chance to look up and remember.
It served as a reminder that the sacrifice that was made 25 years ago will never be forgotten.
At 9:30 a.m., the City of Fort Lauderdale held its annual remembrance ceremony at the Fort Lauderdale Fire and Safety Museum on Las Olas Boulevard.
Hundreds of people gathered for the sorrowful and painful day of remembrance.
For retired NYPD Lt. Michael Ryan, who now works for Fort Lauderdale Police, it’s a painful flashback to his past.
“I’m going to speak from the heart today, because this day is very tough,” said Ryan.
Ryan and his wife were both NYPD sergeants at the time of the attacks.
“Our units were in that first wave of officers that responded down to ground zero,” said Ryan.
Both of them happened to be off that fateful day. However, they would go onto spend years with the department, leading many initiatives that involved the first responders of 9/11 and how NYPD responded to mass casualty incidents.
“I was touched by 9/11 in every assignment that I had,” said Ryan.
Lives lost, families shattered, and a country changed forever 25 years later.
“I think it’s our responsibility to make sure it is not forgotten, we can talk about it, we can share in ceremonies like we just had,” said Ryan.
This is the result of a country and its people coming together.
“The love, the support, the respect for public safety, the days following that day, the years, and all the way to today, it is something that is unchanged,” said FLFR Chief Stephen Gollan.
Ryan stressed that as we get further and further away from 2001, it is up to all of us to remember and to never forget.
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