LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) – First responders from across Allen County gathered Monday for the dedication of the new 9/11 Memorial, reflecting on their experiences and the significance of the day.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed and thousands more injured in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Since then, thousands more have died or continue to suffer from 9/11-related illnesses.
Sheriff Matt Treglia of Allen County said, “I remember that day like it was yesterday. I was working third shift in uniform, and I was 24 years younger, and I received a call from my lieutenant then on the shift, and we all came in and realized that, you know, America was under attack, and we were getting ready for anything because of the refinery and the things that we had here in Allen County that could be targets.”
Chief Jack McDermitt of the Lima Fire Department recalled, “We all migrated to central station to be together to watch the events unfold. And as the day went on, we started asking, What can we do to help? And that spread across the county. I mean, we talked to everybody in the area, and it was just the loss of 343 of your brothers is hard to fathom.”
Chief Curtis Hile of the Lima Police Department, who was at Ohio State Patrol training that day, said, “We were only given information that was provided by the troopers that were in charge of our class. Ultimately, they brought the TV in and to watch how it transitioned from a training facility into for someone who really didn’t have a lot of knowledge of what was going on, because I was learning about this job, to see it transform into almost like a state command post, and the organization that went on was was pretty impressive.”
The dedication ceremony was part of a day of remembrance that honored the victims, survivors and first responders whose lives were forever changed by the attacks.
