Like so many people around the world, Bob Beckett remembers what he was doing the exact moment two planes crashed into the World Trade Centre on 9/11.
Beckett, who was LangfordB次元官网网址檚 fire chief at the time, woke up like every other day, had his morning coffee, and turned on the news for a couple of minutes before heading out to the fire hall on Peatt Road.
There, sitting alongside local dispatchers and millions of other viewers around the world, Beckett watched as the Twin Towers crumbled to the ground, in what has become known as the deadliest terror attack on American soil.
READ MORE: U.S. marks 9-11
B次元官网网址淔or me, it wasnB次元官网网址檛 about the collapse of the building, it was immediately recognizing that hundreds of firefighters would be killed,B次元官网网址� said Beckett on the 17th anniversary of the attack on Tuesday. B次元官网网址淭hat was a blow to the stomach.B次元官网网址�
Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks on 9/11, including many first responders.
The day after, Mayor Stew Young, Beckett and Staff. Sgt. Bruce Brown with the West Shore RCMP agreed to travel to New York as a show of support.
B次元官网网址淲e get so many terrorist acts now, but that was the first time really that we had seen it happen on North American soil at a level like that B次元官网网址� I was in shock with what was happening on the TVs,B次元官网网址� said Young, adding the trip was one of the most important things heB次元官网网址檚 done during his time as mayor.
B次元官网网址淚t was more of just trying to make sure we were supporting our American friends, and the people on the planes were not just Americans, there were Canadians as well.B次元官网网址�
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They also brought a B次元官网网址渟ignificantB次元官网网址� monetary donation, which went towards an education bursary for children of deceased firefighters, as well as letters and drawings made by local elementary school children.
Only four days after the attacks, the trio boarded a boat from New Jersey that took them to Ground Zero alongside hundreds of family members of the first responders who lost their lives while trying to save others. They stood somberly next to children B次元官网网址� some too young to understand what was going on B次元官网网址� who clutched teddy bears, notes and flowers, which they later laid at the site.
Stepping off the boat, they witnessed a sight unlike anything they had seen before.
Fires were still burning days after the attack, pieces of paper continued to float from office buildings and rubble stretched as far as the eye could see. The smell of smoke still clouded the air.
B次元官网网址淚t was an honour to be there. The enormity of it struck me. ItB次元官网网址檚 hard to grasp how huge an area that it encompassed, not just the two buildings that fell down, but also the surrounding buildings that were partially destroyed,B次元官网网址� Brown said.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just the sheer devastation. There was a huge hole in the ground that the World Trade Centre was, pancaked down into almost nothing B次元官网网址� It just seemed unreal.B次元官网网址�
The trio spent five days in New York, attending funerals for other first responders, among other things.
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While the attack took place nearly two decades ago, the memories have stayed with them. If Brown watches a show or movie that depicts New York, it transports him back to the scene, carnage and emotions of that day.
Reliving those memories on the anniversary of the attacks are also a way to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice and encourage people to work towards a more peaceful future.
B次元官网网址淲e need to recognize the sacrifice that they made. ThereB次元官网网址檚 workplace injuries and deaths every year. These folks were walking up the stairwells attempting to rescue and suppress the fire. They knew what they were doing and what they were entering,B次元官网网址� Beckett said. B次元官网网址淚 owe it to them to recognize that ultimate sacrifice they made.B次元官网网址�
For Beckett the events of 9/11 were a catalyst to help others as well. It kicked off years of humanitarian work in places such as Haiti, Afghanistan and Pakistan to sow seeds of hope rather than fear.
B次元官网网址淲e have to start to see that weB次元官网网址檙e all one family and we have a responsibility of helping that global community, otherwise we will continue to have the strife that we see,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淣ever forget that we need to continue to strive towards global peaceB次元官网网址�
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