Troy fire fighters do their part to "never forget"

Members of the Troy Volunteer Fire Department held their annual memorial ceremony for the anniversary of the attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001.

It seems everyone remembers where they were the exact moment the two commercial jets slammed into the skyscrapers. However, six years later, life has moved on and things have gotten back to normal for most people.

Although, at least one demographic will be forever affected by the attack, fire fighters and other emergency personnel will never forget the "Day the World Changed." During the attacks and the subsequent collapse of the two buildings, 379 first responders were killed. In the latest counts, 2,948 people have been confirmed dead from the attacks, with 24 reported dead and 24 people reported missing for a total of 2,996 people, according to www.september11victims.com, a Web site dedicated to victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

On Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007, six years later, the Troy Volunteer Fire Department members did their part in remembering those who so valiantly pushed aside their own fears and did their best to work to save the many who were killed, hurt or otherwise affected by the attack.

Twelve members of the TVFD honored their fallen brothers and sisters with the wail of the emergency siren and the ringing of a 9/11 memorial bell erected outside the fire department. Mark Dolan led the fire fighters and the small crowd that gathered in a prayer for those that had fallen and a reminder that hate is not a part of healing and moving on. Dolan also read the "The Fireman's Prayer."

"You do this because it is a calling," Dolan told the fire fighters. "You don't get paid and your life is in danger."

The TVFD ended their ceremony with the gonging of the memorial bell and the emergency siren.