World Trade Center rubble bell to ‘tone’ at Sandy Harbor VFD ceremony
A bell made from the rubble of the World Trade Center will be part of a special ceremony recognizing the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Courtesy photo
A bell created from pieces of the World Trade Center’s twin towers, which were destroyed in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, will be part of a special ceremony hosted by the Sandy Harbor Volunteer Fire Department. The event is 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, at the fire hall, 203 Granite Shoals Drive in Horseshoe Bay.
All interested neighbors and friends can join the department for a short, simple recognition of the first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice on 9/11. The event is free.
“The bell is a classic relic of the event,” said Sandy Harbor firefighter and spokesman Soc Gonzalez. “An anonymous friend bought it for us so we could have the treasure. It’s truly a goosebumps ceremony. We tone out the bell to let it echo for two minutes.”
Bells were created from the rubble to raise money for the surviving families of the 343 first responders lost on that day, he said. As he thought about the ceremony, Gonzalez became quiet.
“It was a great honor to have such a relic gifted to our department,” he said. “Every year, when we have this event on 9/11 and we tone out the bell, it is a sobering reminder of the catastrophic events of that day. We think of the families and friends that survived. We’re honored to have the bell as part of our ceremony.”