Fire trucks parked in rows, memorial bells tolled, and somber memories were shared during the Oak Bluffs Fire Departments annual 9/11 memorial ceremony on Wednesday.
Members of the Oak Bluffs Police Department, West Tisbury Police Department, the select board of Oak Bluffs, and the broader community stood in solidarity with the Oak Bluffs Fire Department.
The first responders, community members, and the nearly 3,000 victims who lost their lives in the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, were honored and remembered.
The ceremony began at 9:55 am with a moment of silence, followed by the tolling of the bells, which honors all those who lost their lives on this day 23 years ago, including 343 firefighters. The tolling of the bell holds extra significance for firefighters. Before telephones or radios, the toll of the bell was used to announce the beginning of a shift, summon firefighters to the station, signal when a job was complete, and notify neighboring departments for help.
A special sequence of tolling the bells was performed at the ceremony to honor the firefighters who fell in the line of duty, with five strikes of the bell, repeated four times and a brief pause in between each set.
The American flag was lowered to half-staff for the ceremony and Reverend Doctor Storm Swain, associate priest at Grace Church in Vineyard Haven led the gathering in prayer.
Chief of the Oak Bluffs Fire Department, Nelson Wirtz, reflected on the importance of gathering on 9/11. “It was a pivotal moment in American history and most importantly it brought this country together and we were all one in our grief. That continues to unite us through the divisiveness we see today,” he said.
Others on Wednesday reflected on the tragic day and shared an internalized lesson on how fast life can change.
“This reminds me of the day,” said one police officer at the memorial. “It was a beautiful day like today.”
