Portland officials gathered in Fort Allen Park Wednesday morning to remember the lives lost during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Nearly 3,000 people including hundreds of firefighters, police officers and other first responders were killed when Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four planes that struck the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.
Two of the 19 hijackers spent the day before in the Portland area, before flying out of the Portland Jetport into Logan the next morning, and then to New York.
On Wednesday, Portland officials placed a wreath on a monument in Fort Allen Park in remembrance.
“This ceremony isn’t about me, it’s about those who lost their lives saving others,” said Portland Fire Chief Kevin Gautreau. “Let us put our political and social differences aside for at least this day to honor those lost and keep our promise to never forget.”
Portland Police Chief Mark Dubois recalled how 9/11 changed him as a law enforcement official.
“Even though it’s still 23 years after, I still feel like we’re very cautious about how we approach some incidents,” Dubois said.
Cheryl Leeman, who was Portland’s mayor during the time of the attack, says there are some who are still healing after those events.
“This day is important, it is a day of remembrance,” said Leeman. “There are people that I talk to that say 9/11 is still fresh for them. We should remember what happened on 9/11 today and every day.”
