Rosemead Mayor Steven Ly, Mayor Pro Tem Sandra Armenta, Councilmembers Polly Low, William Alarcon and Margaret Clark proudly unveiled “ Reflect”, the September 11 Memorial in front of City Hall.

The beautiful sculpture created by Heath Satow features two hands holding an I-beam from the World Trade Center. Nearly 3,000 stainless-steel doves that are welded together create the hands. The artist said he created each bird to represent a real person who died on that tragic day.

A piece of the I-beam donated by the New York and New Jersey Port Authority and a fence posted with pictures of the missing was exhibited in the City Hall.

Five hundred residents attended the ceremony to pay tribute to the victims of 9/11.  Members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Sheriff Department presented the colors. The American flag was raised up and lowered to half-staff in honor of the fallen.

Diane Brown sang our National Anthem and members of the Boy Scout Troop 511 and Girl Scout Troop 512 signed it.

Mayor Ly welcomed all to this somber event. We all remember where we were that tragic day. He thanked the Port Authority and all of the donors for this project. He thanked the artist, Heath Satow. Today we remember all of those who lost their lives and the people who keep us safe.

Mayor Pro Tem Armenta spoke about the beautiful day it was before our world was changed forever by the planes hitting the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, DC and the plane crash in Pennsylvania.  The plane the hitting the World Trade Center was no accident. America was under attack. The firefighters and police officers raced to the scene to rescue the victims. The planes were grounded. People were killed in New York and Washington, DC. The passengers forced Flight 93 into the ground in Pennsylvania saving countless lives of people in Washington, DC. 9/11 was a day of infamy for America.

Councilmember Low read out the times of each of the terrorist attacks as a bell was rung three times in memory of all the people who died in the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and on Flight 93 on that fateful day.

Councilmember Alarcon stated the 9/11 attacks were perpetrated against the American people. The victims ranged from 2 years old to 82 years old. For some of the children it was their first plane ride. Approximate 3,000 people from all walks of life died that day.

A mournful version of “Taps” filled the air as members of the So Cal Freelance Alumni Corps played for the audience. Then a moment of silence filled the air.

Councilmember Clark reminded everyone of the firefighters and police officers who walked up the stairs in the Twin Towers as the tenants were streaming down the stairs. Many of those firefighters never came out of the building. She praised the men and women who stopped to rescue their co-workers in the Twin Towers. She spoke about the brave men and woman in the Pentagon who stopped to rescue their comrades from the fire damaged building. She spoke with pride of the passengers on Flight 93 who took over the plane and forced it into the ground in Pennsylvania. They sacrificed their lives for thousands of their fellow Americans.  We are the home of the brave. We remember them and honor their heroism.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Chief Neal Tyler said it takes courage to be a cop or a firefighter. They are trained and plan for all events. That day the cops and firefighters accepted that they would be dying that day. He spoke about all of the unknown heroes of the day. He said that we need to see and help others to understand those criminals are only a subset of their religion.

Los Angeles County Assistance Battalion Chief Nick Duvally stated the first responders are looking at better training since 9/11. That day was different. 343 New York firefighters were killed. They are the first ones in and the last ones out. He was sent to the Pentagon. The Pentagon coverage was not extensive due to national security. They had to do a search of the building that was heavily damaged to locate victims and evidence of the crime.  They worked a 16-hour day for 10 days. He is proud to be a resident of Rosemead and Los Angles County.

Kevin Danni, a native of the San Gabriel Valley, was attending a job training session in the south tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11. The class was on the 61st floor. He saw the first plane hit the north tower. He evacuated with the other 299 members of the class. They were evacuating from the tower as the second plane hit their building. They saw the police officers, firefighters and rescue workers walk up the stairs as they walked down to safety. All of the members of his class were safe. They watched the buildings in flames from the courtyard.  He heard the buildings fall and ran for his life. He thanked the police officers, firefighters and military for being the true heroes. He is grateful for each day and is blessed to be here. He thinks about all of those who did not survive.

Mayor Ly spoke about December 7, 1941 and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. On September 11, 2001 life in America was changed again. We were attacked in New York, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania. We must remember the heroism of that day. He remembers all of the events of that day.

Joseph Santi read his poem “Not Just the Steel” in memory of that fateful day.

The Council unveiled the memorial “Reflect” to the community.

Members of the Los Angeles Police Department Emerald Society played “Amazing Grace”. The mournful sound of drums and bagpipes echoed in the air.

The sound of “America the Beautiful” filled the air as members of the So Cal Freelance Alumni Corps played it for the audience.

Diane Brown sang a heartfelt “God Bless America” at the closing of this emotional event.

A moment of silence was offered to the many victims and their families.

People crowded the memorial to touch it and remember the day that changed our America.

Rosemead was joined by thousand of cities in remembering 9/11 Patriot Day across the United States, Europe and Asia.

9/11 will always be remembered by generations as the day that every day people joined together to save their friends and strangers from four acts of terrorism on American soil.

“United We Stand” became the battle cry of 9/11.

We need to continue to stand strong as a nation. God Bless America!