RegisterLog in

HomeISM.comNews

TransitSportsFoodMusicCommunity ServiceSafetyMilitary

Student Generated PageAdd your photosAsk a question

Subscribe to Feed

Eight short years ago

Posted in September 23, 2009 ¬ 10:51 pmh.swoodallNo Comments »

By Tara Puckey

He sat alone at a weathered picnic table. Trails of smoke swirled above his head and dark glasses concealedhis eyes.

The NYPD ball cap that blocked the bright sun from his face bore a memory etched in marker, aspermanent as the loss.

Kevin Donohue remembered.

“That is my cousin,” Donohue said, displaying the writing inside his hat. “He is—was—the number twosergeant on the city police force.” The correction seemed painful and he flinched. “It’s a hard day.”

Donohue was not alone with his troubled memories. Hundreds of people gathered in The RathskellerBiergartens to commemorate the eighth anniversary of 9/11 at the America Remembers event benefiting abereavement fund for families of fallen Indianapolis firefighters. The event included silent and live auctionsand appearances by prominent members of the community.

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard made it a point to show his support, not only to the fallen heroes, but alsoto those who continue to put themselves in harms way for the greater good.

“I think we celebrate not only those who died on that particular day,” Ballard said, “but I think we’ve madeit a little bit larger, to honor all those who have gone before and worn the uniform on our behalf. And also, Ithink it is a day where we pay homage to those who continue to wear the uniform still, despite all thedangers.”

Stressing the importance of learning from tragic experiences, Ballard hoped future generations would striveto cross the cultural divide and come together.

“The most important lesson here is to always look for a strong understanding of other cultures because,”said Ballard, “in the end, people will do what they know.”

And they did.

Together, as a community of people who do what they know, faces solemnly bowed at the familiar hauntingmelody of “Taps” and shuddered as a 21-gun-salute echoed through the evening air.

After a heavy moment of silence, Indianapolis Fire Chief Brian Sanford, a quiet and well-spoken man, saidwhat the crowd already knew.

“We just have to be aware that life is short,” said Sanford. “Life is great, but it is short. It is fragile. Weneed to build relationships and interact with each other. It’s important to be prepared for the times thataren’t so good, but also to celebrate the good times.”

And they did.

Balloons rose into the evening sky and chatter began to grow. People continued streaming through theentrance, each adorned with a flag bracelet and ready for a party. Formalities aside, the crowd moved to thebeats of all-star bands including The Working Hour, Woomblies and Zanna Doo.

As the sun disappeared, drinks flowed and the smell of food drifted from table to table. People hugged andlaughed, danced and sang, found and made friends.

“It’s a time to come together,” said Indiana State Fire Marshal James Greeson. “It’s a day to become family,embrace each other, and support the men and women who selflessly put themselves in peril to save lives.”

And they did.

Hopeful that the beautiful weather would prompt a better turnout than years past, coordinators urged thecommunity to contribute donations. Since the event started in 2002, the Indianapolis MetropolitanFirefighters Bereavement Fund has received over $100,000.

Despite an evening of successful fundraising, of drinking and dancing and laughter, the night wasn’t allsmiles for Kevin Donohue.

He rose, passed the waving flags perched around the high brick walls and exited as quietly as he had come,ushered by the memories of lives lost on that fateful day eight short years ago.

Share and Enjoy:

Military News

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, ortrackback from your own site.

Leave a Reply

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b><blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike>

<strong>

Anti-spam word: (Required)*To prove you're a person (not a spam script), type the security word shown in the picture. Click on the picture to hear an audio file ofthe word.

Submit Comment

Loading

Events Calendar

September 2009September 2009

SS MM TT WW TT FF SS

30 31 1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Show All Filter

Would you like to submit an event to be listed on our calendar? Click here to e-mail us.

MilitaryISM on Twitter...

Creating a new website for veterans! 2009-07-29More updates...

military.com

UN Resolution Aims at Nuke-Free WorldWith President Barack Obama presiding over a historic session, the U.N. Security Councilunanimously approved a U.S.-sponsored resolution Thursday committing all nations to work fora nuclear weapons-free world. […]Taliban Gun Down Pakistan Tribal EldersMilitants ambushed a convoy of prominent anti-Taliban tribal elders in volatile northwestPakistan on Thursday, spraying their cars with gunfire, killing nine people and wounding sixothers. […]IG Says Too Many Vets Waiting for ClaimsToo many veterans' disability claims take more than a year to process, the Veterans AffairsDepartment's inspector general said Wednesday. […]Colo. Man Indicted in Alleged WMD PlotTerrorism suspect Najibullah Zazi plotted for more than a year to detonate homemade bombs inthe United States, had recently bought bomb-making supplies from beauty supply stores andwas looking for "urgent" help in the past two weeks to make explosives, an indictment chargedThursday. […]Iraq Prison Break Triggers Giant ManhuntU.S. aircraft and Iraqi patrols combined in a massive manhunt Thursday after the escape of 16prisoners - including five al-Qaida-linked inmates awaiting execution - who apparently crawledthrough a bathroom window in a makeshift jail on a former compound of Saddam Hussein. […]

SMS Text Message

Phone number

Carrier

Verizon

Subscribe

SMS Text Message by Semper Fi Web Design

Copyright © 2009 by MY ¬ All rights reserved.

Powered by WordPress.