Aurora remembers its heroes of Sept. 11

Courage, unity, hope and faith, death, destruction, sadness and sacrifice all sprung from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.

All those emotions and more were revisited Friday as Aurora residents paused for a ceremony remembering the 10th anniversary of the attacks, honoring the families of four Aurora Marines killed in action and thanking the city’s public safety employees for their dedication.

“It’s good and important that we honor those who died on 9/11, but it’s also important that we remember, respect and honor the commitment that our public safety employees here in Aurora have made to us,” Mayor Tom Weisner said to about 300 people outside Aurora Central Fire Station.

Members of Aurora’s police and fire honor guards stood watch as speakers stressed the importance of remembering the changes Sept. 11 brought to the nation — and the Aurora community.

“As a result of this tragic day, the slogan ‘We will never forget’ was plastered on fire trucks and squad cars throughout this country — not only this country, but throughout the world,” Fire Chief Hal Carlson said. “I want to thank each and every one of you for living up to that slogan and remembering all those individuals who died that day.”

To thank and honor four Marines from Aurora who died in Iraq during the war on terror, honor guard members presented a folded flag and a plaque to their family members or friends.

Clayton Muhammad, spokesman for East Aurora Unit District 131, where three of the Marines were educated, introduced the flag-folding ceremony by reading a poem he wrote based on a patriotic song.

“My country ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, land for which our sons have perished, land which they proudly cherished, for them today we sing,” Muhammad said. “We sang a sad song as we watched in horror seeing those towers fall, but somehow, those same images caused these young men in Aurora to stand up and answer the call.”

Juan Delatorre, the younger brother of fallen Marine Jesse Dan Delatorre, watched the ceremony thinking about his father, whom he said did not want Juan to follow in his older brother’s footsteps and join the armed forces. Juan said he enlisted in the Marines when he turned 18 and will leave for his first tour of duty Jan. 3.

“It was kind of hard because of thinking about leaving him,” Juan said after the ceremony.

The event was “very emotional” for Nancy Ramos, mother of fallen Marine Hector Ramos. She and her mother cried slightly upon receiving a plaque in Hector’s honor.

Brave Americans like Delatorre and Ramos who died to protect the nation’s freedoms are the ones who deserve the most praise as the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks nears, Weisner said.

“It is a day to remember. It is a day to honor the people who committed their lives to protecting us, to preserving our lives at the cost of their very own,” Weisner said. “We shall never forget.”