‘Make sure that story is told’: Dalton State College hosts 9/11 remembrance service

Published 9:15 am Monday, September 18, 2023

Dalton State College held a remembrance service for the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, during its annual Day of Service on Friday. The college’s quad area lawn was lined with 198 small American flags, each representing 15 people who died during the terrorist attacks that day, said Alexandra Sanchez, the college’s student life coordinator, as she began the service.

“We want to take a moment here to understand the repercussions and honor the lives of the people who lost their lives, including first responders and everyday people,” Sanchez said as students, wearing shirts with the words “Never Forget” emblazoned on the back, gathered.

Lt. Robbie Townsend with the Dalton Fire Department, who arrived at the campus with Engineer Josh Peek and Firefighter Charlie Davis of Ladder 3, gave a short speech and paid tribute to the victims who lost their lives during the attacks, speaking underneath the bell tower in the quad area.

“What I want to focus on are the acts of bravery and selflessness that happened that day,” Townsend said. “We lost 343 firefighters that day and that was a huge impact to the fire department in New York as well as to fire departments everywhere.”

Townsend detailed the actions of two brothers who served with the New York Fire Department, Joseph and Kevin Pfeifer, after the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were slammed into by hijacked commercial airplanes.

“One of the first arriving battalion chiefs (Joseph Pfeifer) that day was stationed in the lobby of the South Tower and he looked at his brother, who was a lieutenant on Engine 33,” Townsend said. “He gave his brother the order to go upstairs and that was the last time he saw him. Those firemen knew that they were not going to put the fire out; their plan was to get as many people out of the stairwells as possible and they saved thousands of lives that day.”

Townsend said the events of that could happen anywhere in America.

“Even in a small town like Dalton, Georgia,” he told students. “That’s why it’s important to remember what happened. It’s up to us to make sure that story is told.”

The Day of Service, held from 7:45 a.m. to roughly noon, allowed students enrolled at Dalton State to register for volunteer service at multiple organizations around Dalton. This year, students registered to volunteer at RossWoods Adult Day Services, Providence Ministries, the Lakeshore Community Garden and the Northwest Georgia Family Crisis Center.

“We have been able to give students these opportunities to get involved in the community since at least 2017, my first year here,” said Heather Williams, the associate director for student life at Dalton State. “In the past we have had up to 80 volunteers sign up for the event. The past few years we weren’t able to host it because of COVID, and this year we’ve had around 35 students registered.”

Before the student volunteers are sent out to help at the organizations they take part in the 9/11 remembrance service and are given a free breakfast in the college’s cafeteria.

“It’s important that we continue to educate students on 9/11, and a lot of students have been grateful to take part in the services; they’ve found it really impactful,” Williams said. “A lot of them, when they leave the remembrance ceremony, tell us they had no idea the impact 9/11 had on the world because now a lot of our students were born a few years after. That’s always an interesting conversation to have.”

Jerron Phifer, vice president of the House of Dalton State’s Student Government Association, said this was his second time taking part in the remembrance ceremony.

“I have family members who served in the military so I do take it very seriously,” he said. “I remember my grandma telling me she went to the Twin Towers just a few weeks before they fell, so it hits very close to home. Coming in and taking part in the service means a lot to me.”

This was the first time Townsend took part in the remembrance ceremony.

“I think it’s very important to let this generation know what happened that day and the heroism involved,” Townsend said. “If we don’t teach them, then it will fade off and just be something they read about in a history book. I think trying to get those individual stories out about what people did that day is very important.”

Townsend has been with the Dalton Fire Department for 23 years. He said he vividly remembers the day of the attacks.

“I was a brand new fireman when 9/11 happened,” he said. “I was at work and, like everyone else, we turned the TV on and couldn’t believe what was going on; all the fire stations were locked down. For several years after that we would still have to lock down and close the bay doors. We used to be able to leave everything open and let the citizens come in. It just brought about so much change because it was a big unknown.”

Townsend closed the remembrance service by telling the students “Over 20 years have passed since that tragic day. While the scars of 9/11 will remain forever, it is essential to reflect on the lessons we have learned. We must remember the lives lost by fostering peace, understanding and compassion to one another.”