Officials, residents, first responders participate in events in metro Atlanta to honor 9/11 victims
ATLANTA - Multiple events were held over the weekend and on Monday to recognize and honor 9/11 victims and survivors and our local law enforcement and first responders.
Mayor Andre Dickens and others attended a 9/11 Blue Mass at the Cathedral of Christ the King on Monday morning.
The Blue Mass was held to honor local law enforcement and first responders.
Atlanta Fire Chief Roderick Smith and Atlanta Police Chief Darin Shierbaum were also in attendance.
At Milton High School, they placed 3,000 American flags with the names of 9/11 victims on the front lawn of the school.
They also held a special ceremony and the keynote speaker was James D'Avolio, a former New York City firefighter who was one of the first responders who searched through the rubble of Ground Zero for survivors.
9/11 events, runs and ceremonies in metro Atlanta | 2023
He told students that he feels lucky to be alive after so many lost their lives that day and since then because of illnesses related to the search.
On Saturday, hundreds of motorcyclists gathered in Cartersville to honor 9/11 victims with a motorcycle parade. Proceeds from the event will be given to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which is a charitable organization that helps veterans with new homes.
America, Atlanta pauses to remember Sept. 11th fallen
It was a day of remembrance as the country marks more than two decades since the deadly attacks of September 11, 2001 and as we remember the lives lost that day, some Americans continue to lose their lives after their heroic responses to the attacks.
Students at Lovett School in northwest Atlanta honored fallen first responders on Sunday by walking up and down the stands of their football stadium.
Everyone who participated walked 2,071 steps, which is the equivalent to waling 110 stories.
One 14-year-old student, who wasn't alive when 9/11 happened, talked about the importance of remembering those killed.
Also on Sunday, the Marietta Fire Department and metro Atlanta residents took part in the department's annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. They climbed 110 stories – one for each of the stories the firefighters climbed inside the World Trade Center buildings more than two decades ago.