Jacksonville Area First Responders Hold Ceremony Marking 20th Anniversary of 9-11

By Benjamin Cox on September 10, 2021 at 9:18am

L to R: Jacksonville Police Chief Adam Mefford, Jacksonville Mayor Andy Ezard, Morgan County Commissioner Ginny Fanning, Morgan County Circuit Clerk Amy Sipes, Morgan County Clerk Jill Waggoner, South Jacksonville Police Chief Eric Hansell, Jacksonville Police Lt. Sean Walker, and several members of the Jacksonville and South Jacksonville Fire Departments and members of the area gather in the shade on the Downtown Square in Jacksonville to remember the 20th Anniversary of 9-11.

Several members of the Jacksonville area’s first responders as well as public officials gathered downtown on the square for the first of two ceremonies honoring the 20th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks yesterday.

Jacksonville Police Chaplain Alan Bradish recounted the history of the attacks and said the ceremony yesterday was to honor the work that the area’s police, fire, military, and EMS put in every day to risk their lives for others: “As we remember this tragic event, we want to pay tribute to all of our first responders. Those brave men and women of the fire department, law enforcement, EMTs, and military who were willing to risk their lives so that others might live. One picture which remains indelible in my mind is this: while others were running out, first responders were running in.”

A second ceremony will be held at the traveling World War II memorial at 10:30AM Saturday at the Prairieland Heritage Museum grounds hosted by the AMVETS Post 100.