NAS PENSACOLA, Fla. --- In commemoration of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola held a ceremony at the National Naval Aviation Museum onboard the installation today.
Capt. Timothy Kinsella Jr., commanding officer NAS Pensacola, provided opening remarks for the event, which was organized by Chief Petty Officer Class 126.
“Eighteen years ago today, we lost almost 3,000 members of our collective community in Manhattan [New York], Shanksville [Pennsylvania], and Arlington [Virginia],” said Kinsella, who was serving aboard the USS Boxer (LHD 4) when the first airplane struck the World Trade Center. “It seems like a lifetime ago, and the world seems a far different place now than it was before that fateful day.”
In attendance at the ceremony were local service members and first responders from NAS Pensacola and Escambia County Florida. Several retired first responders were also present including Kerry Troy, a retired New York City police officer who responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center.
“It feels surreal to be standing here today,” said Troy. “There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about the friends and fellow officers I lost that day.”
Chief Master-at-Arms (select) John Melendez is from New York City and was 16 when the attacks occurred. Like most people, he still remembers that day and the impact it had on the city and the country.
“An enemy came and tried to take away our feeling of security that day, but we prevailed,” said Melendez. “We are stronger, better, smarter and safer today as a country.”
The ceremony concluded with the traditional ringing of two bells in honor of everyone that was lost on Sept. 11, 2001, a 21-gun salute and the playing of “Taps.”
“Today is not just about honoring the lost souls of 9/11,” said Kinsella. “Today is about reminding ourselves that we must be steadfast and resilient in the face of those who wish to do us harm and destroy our way of life. To do otherwise would mean acquiescence to an evil foe and the desecration of the memory of our honored fallen.”