On a foggy Monday morning, people came out to honor the mantra “Never Forget” on the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C.
The event featured the raising of the American flag by Franklin firefighters and Town of Franklin employees on a fire truck parked on Iotla Street. The timeline of the day was recounted and marked by the ringing of the fire engine’s bell. The Franklin Police color guard raised the flag above the Macon County Courthouse Square as a bagpiper played “Amazing Grace.”
Both young and old were in attendance. Franklin High School students, who were not yet born, paid their respects, as did several former military plus local elected leaders.
Seated near the stage were family members of Terence Manning, who asked not to be individually identified. They said Manning was at a conference at the Windows on the World restaurant on one of the top floors of the North Tower of the World Trade Center when a hijacked airliner struck the tower below, trapping him and many others who couldn’t escape before the building collapsed.
In total, 2,977 victims died because of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. An incalculable number suffered injuries or debilitating illnesses because of the events of that day. The day, like Pearl Harbor, JFK’s assassination or the Challenger space shuttle disaster was for previous generations, is a “where were you” moment etched in the minds of all when they first learned of it or saw it.