Blue sky to the blackest of nights: 9/11 remembered in Medina

MEDINA — The importance of passing knowledge to future generations and first responders' heroic disregard for self-preservation were highlighted Wednesday at the city's 9/11 memorial service. Hosted by the United Airlines Pilots Association at Medina's Fire Station 1 in the shadow of the city's 1-year-old 9/11 monument, multiple speakers channeled emotional responses from those on hand, which included U.S. military members, city safety service officials, area students, pilots and residents with a simple desire to pay respect to those who didn't survive that fateful day in 2001 or its ongoing effects. Speakers opened the ceremony at 10:03 a.m. — the time United Airlines Flight 93 flew over Medina County before crash landing in Pennsylvania, with most investigators agreeing that passengers had overtaken the plane's hijackers in midair. "Eighteen years have passed since a perfect blue sky turned into the blackest of nights," said Capt. Josh Kallet of the United Airlines Pilots Association. "Since then, we've lived in sunshine and shadow, but one thing remains true. We can never unsee what happened 18 years ago and we must never forget what happened on Sept. 11, 2001. "We've shared words and silence at these memorials. The words express what is in our hearts and the silences give us a chance to reflect and remember." Presented to Medina on July 28, 2018, the $100,000 9/11 monument features an 8-foot steel beam taken from the wreckage of the World Trade Center's North Tower. Officials have credited Kelly Low of the Medina Rotary Club as being instrumental in the monument's creation and putting together funds for the project. Medina Mayor Dennis Hanwell said the process took roughly nine years and credited the Rotary Club for its continued contributions toward preserving remembrance of the 9/11 attacks and the honorable men and women who never made it home from downtown Manhattan. "This garden and memorial signifies collaboration and unity in our community," Hanwell said. "The Evening Rotary started this project and worked on it for over nine years under former Mayor Jane Leaver and under Bill Cohen, both of whom in the process we lost to cancer. We looked at a variety of areas to place this and when this area of land became available, there couldn't have been a better place to put it than right next to our fire station here. We extend our appreciation to the donors of labor, equipment and money who made this happen." After the speeches, Principal Lisa Cinadr of Brunswick's St. Ambrose Catholic School was spotted talking about 9/11 with members of the school's seventh and eighth-grade student council. Topics included one student's father being enlisted in the U.S. Navy in September 2001 to another viewing a musical called "Come From Away," which tells the true story of 38 flights that were diverted on 9/11 to the small town of Gander in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. There, residents housed and fed more than 7,000 stranded passengers until airways were reopened. "We're so blessed to be able to go to the generations before us to thank them and ask them to teach the lessons," Cinadr said. "We don't want our students to forget this history of the United States with the intent that they can use what they learn to become better citizens of their communities, better disciples of Christ, and gain the ability to build a better world." Retired U.S. military Lt. Col. Reid Miller offered prayer and heartfelt words just after the clock struck 10:03 a.m. "We seek forgiveness for our misdirections, fruitless clashes, and divisions," he said. "You have walked with us through the thorny path toward your highway of integrity, righteousness, compassion, honesty and harmony. Now, in this troubled transitional time across the land, we seek your help again. Help us always choose the high ground where your light shines brightly as we move ahead. "Help us choose common morality over political self-interest. Grant us discernment in distinguishing friend and foe and in seeking broad cooperation as we select our battles." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at 330-721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.