9/11 resolution asks citizens for moment of remembrance

Talk about it

JACKSON — Stop and remember.

Recently, the Jackson County commissioners adopted a resolution asking citizens to take a moment on Sept. 11 and remember those lost in the 9/11 attacks a decade ago.

According to administrators in Murray, Rock and Pipestone counties, the same resolution will be adopted by their commissioners at their next scheduled meetings on Sept. 6.

On Monday, Nobles County Administrator Mel Ruppert said the resolution would also be added to the agenda for the county commission’s Sept. 6 meeting.

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the resolution July 22.

Sponsored by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ, the document asks that all Americans participate in a moment of remembrance at 1 p.m. EDT, which would be noon in southwest Minnesota.

“For one minute, first responders, houses of worship, towns and others throughout the country will sound sirens and bells in a signal to each of us to stop and remember the 10th anniversary of the tragedies of Sept. 11, 2001,” Lautenberg’s office stated.

According to Jackson County Coordinator Janice Fransen, working is ongoing with the county ministerial association and law enforcement on the observance.

“In the resolution, the board encourages the observance of the moment of remembrance to last for one minute by, to the maximum extent practicable, ceasing all work or other activity and marking the moment in an appropriate manner, including ringing bells, blowing whistles or sounding sirens,” Fransen stated via email.

The resolution acknowledges the timetable of events that took place on a day that forever changed America. Hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the upper portion of the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m., hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower at 9:03 a.m., hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 hit the west wall of the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m., and at approximately 10 a.m., the passengers and crew of hijacked American Airlines Flight 93 acted heroically to retake control of the airplane and thwart the taking of additional lives by crashing the airliner in Shanksville, Pa.

Nearly 3,000 civilians were killed in the attacks, and tens of thousands narrowly escaped the attacks and forever changed, the resolution states.

Countless fire departments, police departments, first responders, governmental officials, emergency medical personnel and volunteers responded immediately and heroically.

The Fire Department of New York suffered 343 fatalities that day — the largest loss of life of any emergency response agency in United States history.

The Port Authority Police Department suffered 37 fatalities in the attacks — the largest loss of life of any police force in a single day in U.S. history.

The New York Police Department suffered 23 fatalities as a result of the terrorist attacks.

According to the resolution, the impact of that day on public health continues today, as nearly 90,000 people are at risk or suffering from negative health effects as a result of the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

This includes 14,000 workers and 2,400 community residents who are sick and thousand of others whose health is being monitored.

“Ten years later, the people of the United States and people around the world continue to mourn the tremendous loss of innocent life on that fateful day,” the resolution states. “Thousand of men and women in the United States Armed Forces remain in harm’s way defending the United States against those who seek to threaten. … The lives of Americans were changed forever.”

In adopting the resolution, Jackson County and the counties to follow recognize the day as one of solemn commemoration and a day to come together as a nation.

“Now, therefore be it resolved that the Jackson County Board of Commissioners offer its deepest and most sincere condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the innocent victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks … and reaffirms that the people of the United States will never forget the challenges our country endured on (that day),” the resolution states. “And will work tirelessly to defeat those who attacked the United States.”

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