A bell tolled for three sets of three rings Thursday at Ivy Tech Community College in Bloomington during a remembrance of those who died on Sept. 11, 2001.
Community members and local fire and police departments gathered at the college near a steel beam from the World Trade Center, which was targeted in the attack. Nearly 3,000 people died.
The ceremony consisted of local fire departments reflecting on the importance of remembering what happened. There was a wreath laying, a moment of silence, prayers and the bell ceremony.
Bloomington Fire Department chief Roger Kerr recalled where he was on Sept. 11, 2001. He said he remembers working and having the chance to make sure his wife and kids were safe, an opportunity thousands of people didn’t get that day.
BFD captain Garrett Greathouse presented the bell ceremony. He said three sets of three rings is a tradition that honors the death of a firefighter.
“This day tends to sneak up on us every year, but it's becoming more and more important to hold this ceremony every single year, because, for example, half of our fire department wasn't even born in 2001 so they're even more distant,” Greathouse said. “They don't have direct memories and may not have even been alive when these events happen.”
Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson was also in attendance. She said her father was at the Pentagon on 9/11 and survived.
Thomson hoped today was a chance for communities to thank first responders and an opportunity to understand the importance of people building connections inside the U.S. and internationally.
“If we cannot continue to tell the stories of what happens and what has happened, we won't learn from history and those who have fallen may be forgotten,” Thomson said.