Nearly 3,000 miles from Ground Zero, a City of Spokane Firefighter, Lieutenant Alex Mickschl, stands tall on a hill in Liberty Park.
He’s positioned right next to I-90, waving the American flag throughout the day; he does so with a sense of pride and patriotism.
For 17 years in a row, Mickschl has posted himself right here waving his flag proudly for everyone to see. When 9/11 happened, Mickschl, a military veteran himself, was beginning his career with the Spokane Fire Department.
He couldn’t just pick up his gear and head to New York City like he wanted to, but he wanted to show his love and support for his brothers and sisters in the firefighting family.
“I had to come up with some way to honor and memorialize all my brothers that died that day and it kind of turned into a tradition,” Mickschl said.