SANGER – An annual tradition carried some extra weight as community members recognized the 25th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center.
On the morning of Sept. 11, city officials, students and staff gathered in front of Sanger High School for the annual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony. The event came with a sense of reflection as attendees heard from guest speaker Michael A. Montelongo, who was working in the Pentagon on the infamous day.
“Some events are just too important to belong only to the people who lived through them; their meaning must be passed from one generation to the next,” said Montelongo in his address. “We remember not to remain in the past, but to decide what we will carry in the future.”
In his speech, Montelongo recounted the shock he felt as “the building suddenly and violently shook,” and evacuations began. He noted that his cell service was down at the time, leaving him unable to let his family know he was safe for nearly nine hours.
Montelongo took time to recognize standout individuals who aided others during the attacks like the “Man in the Red Bandana,” Welles Crowther, who gave his life helping people evacuate from the World Trade Center, and Officer Isaac Hoopii, who helped lead evacuation efforts within the Pentagon.
Montelongo also made reference to boats and ships that transported those who found themselves stuck in lower Manhattan.
“In less than nine hours, approximately half a million people were evacuated by water,” Montelongo said. “On those boats, no one asked the frightened people waiting at the seawall where they came from, where they worshiped or what they believed. They saw neighbors in danger and answered the call.”
After Montelongo’s speech, the Sanger High School Choir closed out the ceremony with a performance of “America the Beautiful,” and with a final round of applause, attendees filtered out and started the rest of their day.
In an interview, Sanger High School Principal Jon Tillotson said that the school has been holding its annual ceremony nearly every year since 2002. Alongside the historical significance behind the ceremony, Tillotson said he finds it “extremely meaningful” that the event is so student-driven, featuring displays from the school’s marching band, choir, honor guard and more each year.
Tillotson also said the ceremony serves as a way to inform students on national history even if they weren’t alive to experience it. During the day’s morning announcements, Tillotson said he encouraged students to ask teachers about what they were during on the day of Sept. 1, 2001.
“(Current SHS students) are about a decade removed from it happening, and events like this are so important to keep those questions going,” said Tillotson. “Those things won’t happen if we don’t continue to remind … and bring this next generation to have that understanding.”
