County Remembers 9-11

Angie Colletti foreground) and Inez Jordan were among those who attended the American Legionsponsored 9-11 r e m e m b r a n c e ceremony held on Broad Street in Emporium Borough Monday.

Everyone was affected by 9/ 11, so it was only fitting that a broad cross-section of the community would gather for a brief memorial service on the fifth anniversary of the terrorists' attack on America.

The lives of those lost on Sept. 11, 2001, were very much on the minds of those attending a service sponsored by Emporium American Legion Post 194 Monday.

From the single blast of the town siren at 10 a.m., roughly marking the time of the first airplane assault on the World Trade Center, to the spontaneous signing of "God Bless America" that followed the formal program, participants came away with the same sense of unity and shared loss that they experienced five years ago.

Keynote speaker Maxwell Narby, Post 194 adjutant, pointed out that the War on Terrorism that has followed 9/11 will be long and hard.

"We are at the beginning, not the end, of a struggle that few understand," Narby said. "It's a different kind of war -- a war for our very souls and a war that must be won."

The enemy is growing, fueled by r e l i g i o u s fanaticism and hatred, and can only be defeated by a unified and determined America, Narby said.

"Few people are willing to admit that we are at war," he added. "If they did, this street would be full of people today, school officials and children would be here, businesses would be closed and every community leader and elected official would be here."

His presentation was followed by patriotic music by the Cameron County High School marching band and a rifle salute with "Taps" by the Cameron County Memorial Detail.