A bright, sunny day filled downtown Anchorage on Saturday, similar to the day in New York City when terrorists attacked the twin towers exactly 20 years ago.
Firefighters and others filled the Alaska Fallen Firefighter Memorial to remember that day.
“We place flags for the fallen. We listen reverently as firefighters and public figures speak hoping to find something new to say,” said Anchorage Fire Chief Douglas Schrage. “Nothing new needs saying. Through these things, we keep alive of what they did on 9/11.”
Others recalled the helplessness they felt that day. “We wanted to do something, we wanted to respond, we wanted to go somewhere,” said Mark Barker, chairman of the Alaska Fallen Firefighter Memorial Committee.