MPS hosts memorial service for 9/11

TOM PINNEY/DAILY FORUM
Maryville Public Safety Fire Division volunteer Bryan Williams addresses the crowd at the MPS 9/11 Memorial Service Monday morning. The ceremony took place at the flag poles outside of the Nodaway County Courthouse.

Sixteen years have passed since the harrowing tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists hijacked four separate planes to crash into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and possibly the White House, but ultimately a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

In honor of the anniversary of the attacks, as well as in memory of the first responders who gave their lives, Maryville Public Safety hosted a brief memorial service at the flagpoles on the lawn of the Nodaway County Courthouse in Maryville Monday morning.

Bryan Williams, a volunteer firefighter and part-time dispatcher in Maryville, welcomed the crowd to the ceremony at around 8:35 a.m. Monday before introducing Calvary Chapel pastor J.D. Dirks to give an invocation. After the prayer, a color guard from the Missouri National Guard in Maryville advanced the American Flag to be raised, then lowered to half-mast in remembrance of the tragic events.

MPS Fire Division captain Phil Rickabaugh then took to the podium for some remarks about what happened on that fateful day 16 years ago.

“Thousands of lives were lost in the tragic events of Sept. 11, and 343 of those were America’s bravest, New York City firefighters,” Rickabaugh said. “Another 159 first responders have died in the 16 years since because of the events of that day.

“When they arrived, I’m sure many were in awe of what they were about to face, uncertain of the task before them. But those brave men entered the towering infernos as many in rural Missouri and around the United States do on a daily basis, and their actions saved thousands even though they paid the ultimate price. They answered their final bell that day, and they will never be forgotten.”

To cap off the ceremony, Maryville firefighter Jace Pine rang a ceremonial bell to honor the first responders that have died in the line of duty. The bell, according to Rickabaugh, is steeped in tradition.

“Some of the traditions recall the days when alarms and signals were transmitted through the use of a telegraph,” Rickabaugh said. “The most dreaded signal was the signal, 5-5-5, which meant that a firefighter had been killed in the line of duty.

“In modern times, the notification is announced over a computerized network. Today, we honor all who have made the ultimate sacrifice by sounding 5-5-5 the 5-5-5 on a traditional bell.”

After Pine rang the bell, the ceremony ended with “Amazing Grace” on bagpipes, another tradition used to signify a fallen firefighter.

TOM PINNEY/DAILY FORUM
A color guard from the Missouri National Guard in Maryville advances to the flagpole to raise the American Flag.

TOM PINNEY/DAILY FORUM
Maryville firefighter Jace Pine rings the traditional bell to signify a 5-5-5 code. The code, used to signify the death of a firefighter in the line of duty, was sounded Monday morning to honor the first responders who were killed in and as a result of the events of Sept. 11, 2001.