Joining with others across the country Tuesday, Hagerstown and Washington County government officials paid tribute and remembered thousands of lives lost in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
"It had a significant impact on our country, but particularly our nation's first responders — firefighters, EMTs, law enforcement officers, U.S. military," city Fire Chief Steve Lohr said. "We are the first line of defense for our citizens, and I think that was exemplified after 9/11 given the scale of those attacks."
Lohr and a number of city firefighters participated in a commemoration ceremony and moment of silence at the start of Tuesday evening's Hagerstown City Council meeting.
"There will never be a September 11 that goes by that I won't think about the 343 members of the fire department of New York, who suddenly, without warning, lost their lives in the collapse of the two towers," Lohr said.