‘A history that lives inside us’: Speakers urge 9/11 remembrance on 20th anniversary of attacks – The Bakersfield Californian

Bagpipes playing America the Beautiful signaled the start of the Bakersfield Fire Departments morning ceremony at BFD Station 15 honoring and remembering the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

People arrived Saturday to a more than 100-foot flag hanging from a fire truck and several law enforcement vehicles blocking some lanes along Buena Vista Road in front of the fire station.

About 50 law enforcement officials, clad in dark uniforms, marched down the aisle.

After raising the flag at half-staff, police service technician Alejandra Balandran sang the national anthem. As she belted out the last note, two F-15 planes flew overhead. Cheers filled the air.

Aaron Rothkopf, a teacher and professor at Bakersfield College, arrived at Saturdays ceremony to honor the anniversary of his friends death: Lisa Frost was aboard Flight 175, which hit the World Trade Centers south tower; flight attendant Betty Ong on Flight 11, which crashed in Pennsylvania; and Jill Maurer-Campbell, an administrative assistant in the south tower.

Rothkopf said the presence of the large crowd leaves a powerful impact. Many people there were too young to recall 9/11, he said.

It means a lot of their memory is always remembered, Rothkopf said.

Bakersfield Fire Battalion Chief Jim Cherry preceded the remarks with an invocation. Codi Adams, captain with the Bakersfield Fire Department, asked the audience for a moment of silence to remember California Highway Patrol Officer Scott Merrik, who died from COVID-19 complications Friday.

Speaker Steve Gage, an incident commander who was sent to serve at the Pentagon, said his team was called upon to travel to the Pentagon for recovery and debris removal. He experienced three emotions that day; he felt humbled to serve, prideful no team member shirked their duty, and fearful Americans would forget that day.

Retired BFD firefighter Pat Caproli recalled the uncertainty plaguing everyone on that trip to the Pentagon. Was an attack on the West Coast next, he wondered? Smoke greeted Caproli at the Pentagon on Sept. 13, the building on fire two days after the attack.

Caproli said tight bonds among the firefighters draw a connection between all fire personnel, regardless of their assignment in the country. The attacks felt personal to him, he added. Saturdays ceremony provides him healing.

Speakers Kern County Undersheriff Doug Jauch and Kern County Fire Chief Aaron Duncan advised the younger generation in the audience to always honor the memory of 9/11.

Bakersfield Assistant Police Chief Mike Hale said residents can learn from first responders, whose occupation revolves around making the right decisions. He wondered how the attacks impact would change law enforcement agencies in Bakersfield.

The last speaker, Bakersfield Fire Chief Anthony Galagaza, said all first responders make a promise to protect the innocent. He wanted everyone to make a promise to never forget the significance of the terrorist attacks.

No one here in uniform views himself as a hero, Galagaza said. Firefighters will continue to run into burning buildings, and they continue to risk their lives if need be to save a life. Its their job.

Community members must shed their political affiliations and simply remember 9/11 because the date will unequivocally be remembered by history, he added.

(It is) a history that lives inside us and reminds us that the community and country ... should be united, Galagaza said. Not just in times of crisis, but at all times.

Bakersfield Fire Capt. Tim Ortiz played the bagpipes at the ceremony and recalls waking up Galagaza when he heard about the attacks. They watched the tower fall together and Ortiz immediately sought his wife's comfort.

Ortiz also helped organize Saturdays ceremony and started the process one year ago, after the 19th anniversary of 9/11. Ortiz said it struck his heart to see a large turnout of children and teens all gathered.

We really wanted to make sure that we did something special here in Bakersfield, Ortiz said. We want to make sure the city of Bakersfield and Kern County did not forget.

A bell tolled three times at the ceremonys conclusion, significant in firefighter history. The instrument warns firefighters of an emergency or signals the beginning of a shift, Adams said. When the bell rang for 343 firefighters, at 8:26 a.m. Sept. 11, that call to service was their last, he added.

Silence followed. Everyone remained still, remembering.

Pastor Jim Ranger sang God Bless America to the crowd. To pay their respects afterward, people placed carnations and touched the 6-ton I-beam from the underground parking structure at the World Trade Center.

Former Bakersfield City Councilwoman Jacquie Sullivan said she remembers her daughter telling her to turn on the television and seeing the wall-to-wall coverage Sept. 11. She urges residents to remember days post-9/11 and the surging unity. Sullivan served on the City Council for 25 years, the longest such tenure in Bakersfield's history and beamed with pride over efforts to create Saturdays ceremony.

"We are one country," Sullivan said. "Just be proud to be American."

You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. Follow her on Twitter: @idesai98.

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'A history that lives inside us': Speakers urge 9/11 remembrance on 20th anniversary of attacks - The Bakersfield Californian