GEORGETOWN, Del., Sept. 12, 2005 – Sussex County Administrator Robert L. Stickels, in his remarks this morning during a special ceremony to remember those lost on Sept. 11, 2001, called on county residents to never forget the sacrifices firefighters, police officers and medics make every day for the betterment of their communities.
Mr. Stickels joined dozens of local and state public safety workers, various dignitaries and other invited guests, including Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security Secretary David B. Mitchell, for the county’s ceremony marking the fourth anniversary of the 2001 attacks.
The following are Mr. Stickels’ remarks during that ceremony:
Good morning, guests of honor, invited dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Greetings. I am Bob Stickels, the administrator for Sussex County, and on behalf of the Sussex County Council, it is my privilege to welcome each of you this beautiful morning for this special remembrance.
Today is a chance for Americans to pause and to reflect on the events of Sept. 11, 2001. That is why we have joined here this morning. The County Council is honored to once again host this ceremony. It is our opportunity, as it is for all of you, to 'Never Forget.'
As we mourn today those who were lost, we also should take this opportunity, just as we should every Sept. 11 from hereto forth, to look beyond … to look beyond the pain and suffering terrorists inflicted at the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and in a rural field in Shanksville, Pa., that fateful day.
We must remember the genuine goodness that emerged amid those acts of incomprehensible evil. We must remember the heroism, the sacrifice and, most of all, the humanity we witnessed that day.
We must ‘Never Forget.’
There was no greater display of these acts of pure human goodness than in the actions of hundreds of firefighters, police officers, paramedics and other public safety officials, many of whom raced into two debris-laden, smoke-filled, towering hulks of sheer panic and terror.
They risked their lives to help the masses they were sworn to protect. Many of them, though, did more than just take a risk; they gave their ultimate, final sacrifice.
Nearly 350 New York City firefighters, and some 75 police officers, died in the line of duty at the World Trade Center alone. Let us 'Never Forget' the price they paid in service to their community -- not just for New York City, but also for the community of humankind.
Let us ‘Never Forget’ what they did.
And let us 'Never Forget' that countless other public safety workers, including scores of firefighters, medics and police officers in Delaware and right here in Sussex County, make sacrifices every day.
The fine men and women you see assembled here represent the people who protect us day and night. They give so much of themselves -- their time, their talents and their energy -- to keep us safe. For that, we offer them our deepest, heartfelt thanks.
To them, I say, "We know all that you do. We know all that you sacrifice. And we will 'Never Forget.' "