Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on American soil in our nation’s history.
Victims numbered 2,753 in the World Trade Center, including 343 firefighters and 60 police officers from New York City and the Port Authority, and eight private emergency medical technicians and paramedics.
Another 184 people were killed in the attack on the Pentagon.
There were no survivors from any of the flights and the overwhelming majority of casualties were civilians, including nationals from more than 70 countries.
Since that tragic event, our nation has fought a war on terrorism; 47,000 troops have been wounded, more than 6,000 of them killed including several of our own.
Our hearts go out to the families of those who perished on Sept. 11, 2001, and the families and loved ones of the military members who died as a result of the subsequent war on terror.
We also take this day to pay tribute to the tireless work of our first responders in Clovis, who protect us each day, and their dedication to their profession.
On this day, we take the opportunity to thank Cannon Air Force Base Special Operations Wing for their selfless dedication to the protection of our nation’s liberty and freedom.
The financial cost of the war on terror, estimated at $4 trillion, has been another price of the protection of our nation’s freedom and liberty.
As Americans it has been our patriotic duty and privilege over the past 10 years to stand behind our elected federal government’s decisions regarding the war on terror.
As Americans we have stood together and watched the first of the World Trade Center towers being reconstructed, estimated for completion in 2013.
The Pentagon was repaired within a year of September 2001 and a memorial was opened at the site in 2008.
The memorial to Flight 93 was to be formally dedicated on Saturday.
There have been many challenges over the past 10 years caused in part by the strain of the cost of this war, both in the human and financial realms.
As Americans we are pleased to see these memorials, as acts of our patriotism, showing we will rebuild, reminding us of how we came together as a nation through the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and afterwards,
of how we will not be defeated and we will stand together and move our nation and our nation’s communities forward.
As we reflect on what the 10th anniversary means to each one of us, I am truly reminded of what is really important in life. As a nation or a community we may not always agree on the way things are approached, but at the end of the day the important things — family, friends, sense of community and national pride — are what matters.
We have been invited by representatives from America’s congressional delegation to observe a minute’s silence 11 a.m. today.
I invite all Clovis’ residents to join me to respect those whose lives were lost on 9/11 and in the subsequent war on terror and to reflect on the true cost of freedom.
God bless America.
Gayla Brumfield is mayor of Clovis. Contact her at:
