Bloomington city officials on Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
Mayor John Hamilton joined local firefighters, Army National Guard members and Monroe County law enforcement at a memorial for attack victims at Ivy Tech.
The memorial is centered around a decommissioned beam from the New York rubble.
@WFIUnews @WTIUnews Bloomington firefighters, Indiana Army National Guard members and Monroe County law enforcement marked the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks during a ceremony at Ivy Tech. pic.twitter.com/2M0QKgx9FX — George Hale جورج هيل (@georgehale) September 11, 2021
Bloomington firefighter Bob Loviscek traveled to New York City to retrieve the beam 10 years ago and led an honor guard at Saturday's ceremony.
“Sept. 11 is a patriot day,” Loviscek said. “I hope that everyone doesn't forget those who gave their lives in order to try to help each other.”
The attacks on 9/11 killed nearly 3,000 Americans in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan soon after and later Iraq, leading to thousands of U.S. service member deaths and scores more citizens of those countries.
READ MORE: How One IU Employee Escaped The Pentagon On 9/11
Dennis Goen retired from Bloomington Fire Department after more than 38 years. He serves on the firefighter honor guard each year, including at Saturday's ceremony.
Goen said it was important for firefighters to return each year to honor the first responders who sacrificed their lives trying to save others during the attacks.
“It brought the nation together probably more than any other time since World War II. It's something we need to remember for the rest of our lives,” he said.
Ahead of Saturday’s ceremonies in Bloomington and across the state, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb directed flags statewide to be flown at half-staff. Flags should be flown at half-staff from sunrise until sunset, his office said Friday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
