Central Fire Station at City Hall was the site of the 9/11 Memorial in honor of the 25th anniversary.
Harrison Fire Department Battalion Chief Bryan Wheeler thanked the runners who began running at 7:46 a.m. at the Bellefonte Harps and ran almost eight miles to City Hall, carrying the American Flag. The time of departure was time for the Central Time Zone, when the first plane hit the north tower. Park Service representative Tim Fondriest said several government agencies were represented, and they ran with the cross-country students from Valley Springs, Harrison, and the community.
The Honor Guard and Firefighters welcomed them, along with a crowd of guests and reverently watched while the flag was raised, and then lowered to half mast.
Wheeler introduced D. Martin, who gave the opening prayer. He thanked God for the sacrifice made on 9/11 and for Jesus Christ, who made the ultimate sacrifice for all humanity. He also recalled Psalm 30, where King David prayed that evil would not overcome him or the nation.
Wheeler asked K.C. Jones, his EMS mentor, to be the main speaker. Jones was EMS #57 in Arkansas, and now the number is in the thousands.
“K.C. was with the first ambulance that arrived at the school during the Jonesboro shooting. He’s made a huge impact on EMS in this state with all of the students he has taught,” Wheeler said while trying hard to contain his emotions. “He’s made an impact on my life.”
Jones asked the audience, “Where were you?” He went on to mention times in history when there were momentous events and that 9/11 was a horrific day in our history, too. He mentioned the lives murdered that day and reminded us of President Bush’s quote, "None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom, and all that is good and just in our world."
Jones remembered a personal friend, Paul Maniscalco, whom he met as a National EMS Board Member. Maniscalco developed the staging plans after the first bombing of the towers in 1993 if the towers were ever attacked again. Jones proudly wore a FDNY pin Maniscalco had given him years before 9/11.
He not only remembered those who died at the scene, but those who died later because of the toxic exposure from working the site, bringing the death toll of First Responders killed doing their job to 12,654.
Wheeler thanked Caspian Flowers for providing the beautiful memorial wreath and Top Stitch for embroidering the ribbon.
Members of the Honor Guard participated in the closing events. Lt. John Morgan laid the wreath. Firefighter Ethan Martin presented the 9/11 Timeline of Events. Lt. Anthony Pytel shared the Fireman’s Prayer. The Bell Ceremony was presented by Wheeler and Captain Trevor Lowery. Caven Clark played the bagpipes.
After the event, when Jones was praised for his accomplishments, he humbly said, “I stood on the shoulders of giants, and Paul Maniscalco was one of those men. After 9/11, Paul was the EMS Deputy Chief and a Homeland Security expert. Ed Hammons was another man who paved the way for EMS in Arkansas. He was a general practitioner for the Air Force and started the EMS program at East Arkansas Community College. He had seen lives saved on the battlefield and knew we could do that for our citizens. I’ve stood on the shoulders of these giants in our state.”
