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MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. — The measured tolling of a fire bell broke the morning silence at March Air Reserve Base Sept. 11, 2026, as members of Team March gathered to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that changed the nation and defined a generation of military service.
March Field Fire Emergency Services hosted the ceremony at the Firefighter and 9/11 Memorial outside Fire Station 1. The observance honored the nearly 3,000 people killed Sept. 11, 2001, including the first responders who ran toward danger as thousands of others sought safety.
Chaplain Russell Schmidt opened the ceremony with an invocation reflecting on the lasting effect of the attacks and the courage displayed that day.
“September 11, 2001, our world was forever changed,” Schmidt said. “For many of us, the memories of that morning are still etched deep into our childhoods—a dark moment when we first understood the cost of courage and the sanctity of service.”
Schmidt remembered the innocent lives lost in New York City, at the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. He also prayed for the continued safety of March Field firefighters and service members.
“Standing as our shield today, they walk in a noble heritage with the hundreds of firefighters and first responders who ran into danger on that fateful day,” Schmidt said. “Grant them strength when the alarm sounds, wisdom when crisis comes, and peace and safety, bringing them home to their families at the end of every shift.”
The ceremony’s centerpiece was the tolling of the bell, a time-honored fire service tradition used to announce that a firefighter has fallen in the line of duty.
Long before telephones and radios connected fire stations, fire departments used telegraph systems to transmit alarms. When a firefighter died in the line of duty, the fire alarm office sent a special series of measured signals to surrounding stations. The resonating alarm notified fellow firefighters of the loss and served as a final expression of honor and respect.
At March, the bell sounded in four sets of five solemn rings—5-5-5-5. Each measured toll carried across the memorial as military members, firefighters and civilian attendees stood at attention. The final ring was followed by one minute of complete silence.
March Field Fire Emergency Services Fire Chief Kile Stewart reflected on the attacks against the World Trade Center and Pentagon and the years of military operations that followed.
“I really can’t find the words,” Stewart said while describing the weight the anniversary continues to carry 25 years later.
For Stewart and many members of the department, the connection between military and fire service runs deep.
“Most of the people you see over here in their blue shirts are veterans,” Stewart said.
Their continued service reflects the same commitment demonstrated by the first responders who answered the call on Sept. 11—placing duty before self and moving toward danger to protect others.
For Col. Brendon Bartholomew, the ceremony recalled a defining moment in both his life and military service. Bartholomew was one year into his Air Force career when the attacks occurred.
“9/11 was something that was extremely transformative, not just for the country, but it defined my entire military career,” Bartholomew said. “It has been something that I have lived as a part of how I serve the entire time.”
Approximately one week after the attacks, Bartholomew traveled to New York City, where the sights, sounds and smell surrounding Ground Zero left memories he continues to carry.
He recalled hearing the alarms from firefighters’ depleted breathing apparatus throughout the area—a sound that continued for days and weeks after the towers fell.
“There were tens of thousands of people running away from the danger, and there were hundreds, if not thousands, of first responders running toward it,” Bartholomew said. “Even 25 years later, we need to continue to remember those folks, especially the ones who didn’t come back. Those were the people running toward it to make sure they could save as many people as possible.”
The ceremony also included a reading of the Firefighter’s Prayer, which asks for strength to save lives, alertness to hear the weakest call for help and the courage to protect others whenever duty calls.
As the ceremony concluded, the American flag was lowered to half-staff in remembrance of those killed at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and near Shanksville.
Twenty-five years after the attacks, the tolling bell served as more than a remembrance of lives lost. Its echoes carried forward a promise shared across the fire service, the military and the nation: to honor their sacrifice, preserve their stories and never forget.
| Date Taken: | 12.31.1969 |
| Date Posted: | 09.11.2026 16:41 |
| Story ID: | 574493 |
| Location: | MORENO VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 15 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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