Dearborn holds 9/11 remembrance

By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers

DEARBORN – With a large contingent of first responders present, the city held a moving remembrance ceremony Sept. 11 on the 25th anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history. 

The event, held at the Veterans Memorial Plaza outside Henry Ford Centennial Library, included the combined Dearborn police and firefighter honor guard posting the colors, with vocalist Vanessa El-Zein singing the national anthem. 

Police Chief Issa Shahin led the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a ceremonial bell ringing to honor the sacrifices of the fallen first responders. 

Speakers included Shiekh Mohammad Ayad, the Rev. Bob McCabe, Fire Chief Joseph Murray and Mayor Abdullah Hammoud. 

Ayad said the gathering was not to remember a date, but the innocent lives that were taken. 

“We remember the firefighters, police officers, paramedics, members of the armed forces and ordinary citizens who ran toward danger when others were trying to escape it,” he said. “Twenty-five years later, their sacrifice still speaks to us.”

Ayad said the Quran states that whoever takes a life unjustly it is as though he has killed all humanity, and whoever saves a life, it is as though he has saved all humanity. 

“Sept. 11 reminds us of the terrible consequences of hatred, extremism, and devaluing of human life, but it also reminds us of something greater: It reminds us of courage, sacrifice, compassion and unity,” he said. “On that day Americans did not first ask one another about religion, ethnicity, race or background; they saw in one another a human being in need and they helped.”

Ayad said that we stand together as Americans and as one human family.

McCabe said we honor the first responders who placed themselves in harm’s way to save lives, and those who worked tirelessly in the days and weeks that followed. 

“We honor them for their courage and dedication, and their willingness to lay down their lives, as some did, for the love of their neighbor,” he said. “Despite the ill intent of those seeking to take lives, cultivate hatred and instill fear, our nation has proven that it cannot be broken.”

Murray said that apart from the sheer horror of that day, and the real human toll on families, that September day will always memorialize this nation’s unity, its fighting spirit, its ability to come together in times of great peril and its ability to lift each other up for a better tomorrow. 

“To first responders across the country: That day put on display the true bravery and self-sacrifice of the men and women that staff our fire departments and emergency medical services, from big cities like New York to your neighborhood firehouse,” he said. “It also marked a paradigm shift in the way agencies on local, regional and federal levels coordinate to provide assistance mutually and work as one unit to help those in need.”

Murray said America stood tall in an hour of darkness, and if our community is any indication, it will continue to stand united. 

Hammoud said Sept. 11 changed the course of the country. 

“As thousands were desperately trying to escape danger, firefighters, police officers, paramedics and other first responders were running directly towards it,” he said. “They climbed stairwells while others were racing down, they entered buildings that others were fleeing, and they answered the call because someone needed help.”

Hammoud said many gave their lives that day, and for thousands of first responders their sacrifices did not end that day.

“Twenty-five years later, firefighters, police officers, recovery workers and others who served at ground zero continue to live with cancers, respiratory illnesses and other diseases connected to their service,” he said. “Families who already watched their loved ones give so much have had to watch them get sick and suffer.”

Hammoud said their sacrifices are still unfolding. 

“Here in Dearborn, we understand how much we ask of the men and women who put on the uniform,” he said. “We ask them to answer when we are at our most vulnerable, to enter the burning building, to respond to violence, to arrive at moments of fear and uncertainty, and to bring calm, courage and professionalism with them.”

Hammoud said Dearborn’s fire and police departments are the bedrock of the city.

“We are proud to have them fully staffed and fully funded,” he said. “Supporting our first responders cannot simply be something we say at ceremonies: It has to be reflected in how we govern, how we equip them, how we care for them, and, as importantly, how we care for their families.”

Hammoud said Sept. 11 taught us that our obligation to those who serve cannot end when the emergency does. 

“Conscientious government means telling people the truth, standing behind those who ask to serve and remaining accountable long after the cameras have gone away,” he said. “Twenty-five years later our responsibility is to remember fully, to remember the innocent lives stolen that morning, to remember those who ran toward danger, to remember those who came home carrying injuries no one could immediately see, to remember those who became sick years later, and to remember the families who have carried that sacrifice every day since.”

Following the speeches, the U.S. flag was lowered to half mast, and bagpiper Ian Kushnir played “Amazing Grace.”