Winnsboro Remembers
by Maryann Miller

On September 8, 2002, about 200 people gathered at the City Auditorium for the 9-11 Memorial Service organized by area church leaders. The hour-long ceremony began with the Presentation of Colors by the Royal Rangers of Outpost 256 from the First Assembly of God church. That was followed by prayer, music, a meditation, a video produced by Paul Beaty that showed footage of the attacks on the Twin Towers, and recognition of the men and women of this area who serve as firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians, and military personnel.

The Rev. Jeff Sheffield of Forest Grove United Methodist church gave an emotional meditation which recounted the tragedies in New York and Washington D.C. He spoke of courage, faith, and the tremendous goodness of all people who responded to the emergency needs. "Tragedy diminishes our wants and magnifies our needs," he said.

Music was provided by Shannon Monk who sang the Star Spangled Banner, accompanied by Dr. Mike McAdoo on guitar. Brett Burnett played a haunting rendition of Amazing Grace on saxophone, and Ms. Monk joined him at the end, inviting all to sing.

Only the hardest of hearts could have failed to be touched by this ceremony that was both patriotic and poignant. Gary Short, one of the firefighters attending, struggled to hold back tears while watching the video and had this to say:"When 9-11 happened, it made me think [about] what it all means. Firefighters and police are tight knit. You lose one, all of us feel it. This [the ceremony] is just a way for me to remember."

Remembering was an apt theme for the event which culminated in an address by the Rev. Henry Suche of First United Methodist Church. He recounted the final moments of United flight 93 and the last words the operator heard from Todd Beamer as the passengers took control of the plane, "Let's Roll."
Rev. Suche urged all who attended to "Let's roll for our country, for our state, and for our city."

Wednesday, Sept 11, 2002, 7:30 am, the sun was bright, the breeze was cool, and the skies were clear as about fifty people gathered at City Hall. They came to remember. They came to stand tall against the terrorists They came to tell them: "You have not defeated us."

The flag was raised, then lowered to half-mast in memory of those who lost their lives in New York and Washington D.C. Then Mayor Caroline Jones gave a short address, and prayer was offered by the Reverend Dan Hubbell. At precisely 7:46am, which coincided with the time the first plane hit the Twin Towers last year, a moment of silence was observed.

Later in the morning as businesses opened, owners put out flags and yellow ribbons to continue the remembrance. Church bells rang in a sweet chorus at 9:00am, and at noon residents paused for another moment of silent prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.

Of the impact and import of this day, Mayor Jones had this to say, "It is a day of great sadness, but also rejoicing that we've revived the spirit of patriotism. America is a much stronger nation now, even though we had to go through a day of such devastation a year ago."

The Mayor officially proclaimed 9-11-2002 a day to honor all those whose lives were deeply touched by the tragedies and asked residents to continue to remember.

Photos from the events: