Agawam firefighters stand in formation at the Sept. 11, 2001, ceremony.
Reminder Publishing photos by Ryan Feyre
AGAWAM — Mayor Christopher Johnson said he remembers Sept. 11, 2001, vividly.
He was teaching three or four classes at Western New England University that day, but instead of talking about anything in the curriculum, he decided to discuss with his students what had happened earlier that morning.
“We talked about what had happened that day,” Johnson said. “To talk to the young people that day and see how it impacted them, it changed me.”
Johnson recalled this memory at a remembrance ceremony in between the Agawam Fire Department Headquarters and 9/11 memorial sculpture on a cool yet comfortable Sept. 11 morning.
The event brought together city councilors, community members and first responders on a day that yields a lot of reflection.
Being that it was 24 years since the attacks, Agawam Fire Chief Alan Sirois said it was more important than ever to host the remembrance ceremony because young colleagues only know the significance of the event through television and history books.
“That is why our presence here today matters so much, to make sure that this memory doesn’t fade into mere words on a page, but lives on as part of our shared identity,” Sirois said. “We honor the firefighters, police officers, EMTs and civilians who chose courage over fear.”
He noted that it is not only important to teach the history of 9/11 to children, but also the values, sacrifice, unity and courage that spawned from it.
“Their sacrifices remind us that doing what is right is rarely the easiest path, but is always the most meaningful,” said Sirois. “This spirit is echoed in the service of those who have carried on the work of keeping our nation safe, our military and our first responders.”
What happened following the attacks is something that will always stick in Johnson’s mind. Speaking to the community at the ceremony, he recalled how the country was the most unified he has ever seen it on Sept. 12, 2001, and expressed hope that the United States can one day mirror that same togetherness.
“We came together because of a tragedy that happened,” Johnson said. “We need to come together again.”
Pastor Daniel Cohen of the Agawam Congregational Church and Father Bill Hamilton, the Agawam Fire Department chaplain, also spoke at the ceremony.
Hamilton honored the 373 firefighters and 72 law enforcement officers that gave their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, through prayer and a poem called “A Love Letter From Those Who Have Passed On.”
“I believe that all of them are with him in heaven looking down on us today,” Hamilton said. “And while we may not have known those who died on 9/11 personally, each of us have lost loved ones.”
The ceremony included a flag raising ceremony just behind the 9/11 monument and the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. At the end of the event, the Agawam Fire Department struck the “four fives,” a New York City custom that honors fallen firefighters. The ceremony ended with the firefighters’ prayer.
