Palmdale takes time to honor Sept. 11 heroes, victims, reflect

And it was evident everyone in attendance at the Patriot Day ceremony at Poncitlan Square in Palmdale had America on their minds and in their hearts.

Sponsored by American Legion Post 711 in conjunction with the city of Palmdale, the Patriot Day ceremony gave those at the gathering an opportunity to pause and reflect on the year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on America.

Waiting for the ceremony to begin, Barry Toler, exalted Ruler of Elks Lodge 2027, held an American flag in his hand.

As he turned the stick the flag was attached to, he exclaimed, "There's a sight you don't see anymore!"

"Made in USA," he said, pointing to the stamped words.

"Usually these flags are made in China or Taiwan," Toler said. "This is the way it should be."

Following a written proclamation presentation by Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford to the American Legion, Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Scott Zbinden of Palmdale Station 37 performed a firehouse tradition - the ringing of a fire bell to honor fallen firefighters.

Zbinden rang the bell 20 times, four series of five bell strikes. The 5-5-5-5 signal dates to the 19th century and has come to symbolize the death of a firefighter.

Last year, 343 firefighters were killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers.

The peal of the brass bell rang true and even echoed off the walls of Station 37, behind and across the street from the Poncitlan Square gazebo where the ceremony took place.

"It's a pleasure to be here today, but it is not a pleasurable day," said state Sen. William J. "Pete" Knight. "We are here because there are cowardly people who do not like our way of life. They do not like our freedom. They do not like our individualism. They do not like the way we live.

"They attacked this country by attacking what we built," Knight continued. "But the World Trade Center towers are not what America is about. Those are material things that can be rebuilt. America is an ideal that we have developed, fought for and maintained."

Audience members nodded their heads in agreement.

"The cowards that attacked us a year ago attacked buildings; they missed America," Knight said. "They declared war on the U.S.A. Now we're going to finish that war and rid the world of those evil people.

"We began to fight back even before the attacks were over. On Flight 93, when they answered to `Let's roll!' " he said. "(The passengers on Flight 93) came together to fight back. And so will we."

The ceremony featured several other speakers, among them Assemblyman George Runner, RLancaster; Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Chaplain Cedric Jackson; Lt. Col. Celeo Wright, commander of U.S. Air Force Plant 42; and Lt. Lauren LaMonk, a member of Highland High School's Air Force Junior ROTC program.

"One thing we learned (from the 9-11 attacks) that divisiveness and challenge only makes us stronger," Runner said.

Zbinden said, "We stopped being white and black, male and female, Democrat and Republican and became Americans."

He spoke of the sacrifices made by the firefighters and emergency workers who died while attempting to rescue victims in the World Trade Center towers.

"We need to use 9-11 as a springboard for kindness. We learned that ordinary people can do extraordinary things," Zbinden said. "The best way to honor (those heroes) is by carrying on their good works.

"I encourage everyone to be `everyday heroes.' Be a hero on your own level. Give your seat up on a bus. Do something small. Be a hero."

Wright looked out at the audience and remarked, "America to me is all of you sitting here.

"America was changed last Sept. 11, and in a way we could not have envisioned," Wright said. "We need Americans to stand strong for those who go out and fight the war against terrorism.

"And I encourage you, that when you see a person in uniform, you say `thank you.' And please, serve America in a way that is most fitting to you."

Uploaded September 12, 2002