Correspondent photo / John Patrick Gatta Former Austintown resident and current South Carolina resident Jim Herman looks over the names of those who perished in the World Trade Center during the remembrance ceremony at the Mahoning Valley 9/11 Memorial Park in Austintown on Thursday.

The enduring legacy of the events on Sept. 11, 2001, can be felt in the hearts of Americans affected by the acts of terrorism in New York, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pa.

The Austintown Beautification Committee presented the 24th annual Mahoning Valley 9/11 Memorial Ceremony Thursday evening at the Mahoning Valley 9/11 Memorial Park, 1055 S. Raccoon Road, to honor those who died when there was an attack on U.S. soil and the first responders from that day and who are currently serving in the area’s communities.

“We do an annual ceremony not only to show remembrance but also to honor those 2,977 lives lost that day; of those, 343 were firefighters and 72 were law enforcement officers,” said committee Secretary and Treasurer Kate Guzzo. “It also allows us to recognize our safety forces and the risks they take and the sacrifices they make to keep us safe.

“Our main purpose for doing the ceremony annually is so that the lives that were lost on that tragic Tuesday morning are ‘Never Forgotten.'”

The hourlong event mixed prayers, chronicled details of those fateful moments, gave multiple plaques to this year’s main speaker, school district Superintendent Timothy Kelty, honored the city’s first responders and had local high school choirs sing patriotic-themed songs.

Kelty, a U.S. Army 1st Infantry division veteran, also served in the 838th National Guard in Austintown. He coached varsity football and baseball at Fitch High School and served as a principal at the former Woodside Elementary School, Austintown Elementary School, and Fitch High School.

“It is a great honor to, once again, be with you, especially on this day, a day that I know is still difficult but reveals pride and faithfulness in your hearts and in the hearts of our nation. I am mindful that no words we offer could truly erase the loss.

“So, the question before us as always is how do we preserve the legacy of those lost? How do we live up to their example? And how do we keep their spirit alive in our hearts?”

He went on to tell the couple of hundred in attendance that 9/11 is a reminder that there is nothing that Americans cannot overcome and that its citizens do not allow others to divide us.

Mahoning County Commissioner Anthony Traficanti read the times of when the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers were struck by planes and when the building fell as well as when the flight went down in Pennsylvania and another plane struck the Pentagon.

In a speech he gave earlier in the program, Traficanti described the grounds that honor the fallen.

“This park is a remnant of that tragedy that happened to our country 24 years ago. But you know what the irony of that situation was back then? This country came together stronger than ever before. Everybody said, ‘What can we do to help?’

“That’s why we could never forget, and that’s why this beautiful park is here to serve as a reminder, both past, present, and in the future with our young people.”

A 21-gun salute was done by the Youngstown Police Department honor guard with taps played by Austintown Fitch High School Orchestra member Ethan Williams and Tony Viano of American Legion Post 737.

But while it’s a day burned in the memories for those who watched the scenes play out on live television, a new generation wasn’t alive when those tragic events happened. Guzzo points out that the ceremony and other activities are meant to spread the information and sacrifice to the area’s youth.

Guzzo said, “The committee works very closely with the Austintown Local School District to ensure that the 9-11 terrorist attacks are a part of the curriculum that day. We work with them by providing someone at the park all day to give them access to tours throughout the park along with anyone that comes to the park the day of (9/11).”

She brought up how the Austintown Middle School students tour the park, see artifacts such as the beams from the 93rd floor of the Twin Towers and receive a short lesson on each item.

The Austintown Fitch High School Concert Choir sang “We Honor You,” “God Bless the USA” and “May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,” while Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps students stood in formation throughout the ceremony.

“Some students are also selected to ring the bell in the chapel when Commissioner Traficanti reads the times,” Guzzo said.

The Springfield High School Choir, under the direction of Alyssa Titi, sang the national anthem.

Guzzo also pointed out that students in other organizations, age groups and classes learn by helping in ways such as NHS volunteering their time to help at clean-up days, Wood shop students made two arbors that can be found in the middle of the park, past the gazebo along the stone pathway.

Falcon media students filmed the ceremony and will post it on their YouTube channel and Channel 19 for those who could not attend to have access to it.

By recounting, instructing and inspiring, the annual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony aims for generations to better understand that time in this country’s history and never forget.