By Laura LC Lewis
The Deseret News
KENSINGTON, Md. — The events of 9/11 are deeply personal to the volunteer firefighters who call Station 5 home in Kensington, Md. When hijackers crashed a plane into the Pentagon, Station 5’s members gathered at the facility, overcrowded their ambulance and engine, and raced to the scene, rescuing the wounded, recovering the dead and battling the fires at the emblem of America’s military might.
James Stanton, KVFD fire chief, is understandably proud of his crew. ‘We didn’t have to call them. We didn’t have to send out a page. They knew they were needed, and they showed up.”
Days later, Station 5 volunteers responded to another 9/11 need when a request arrived from New York City for help at the embattled World Trade Center site where thousands perished when two hijacked planes brought the Twin Towers down.
Speaking of the call for help, master firefighter John E. Thompson, a 43-year veteran of the KVFD said, ‘We were asked to provide an engine company and an ambulance, and we were there for several days. … They had to fight the guys off because everyone wanted to go.’
A small crowd gathered Saturday, June 25, at the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department’s Station 5 for the dedication of a special pair of monuments made from portions of the targeted buildings.
A 16-foot twisted beam of steel juts from an inscribed black base that reads: ‘This twisted and scarred piece of steel from the point of impact at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, memorializes the 2,976 persons lost that day in New York City, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pa. It also serves as an enduring testament to the American spirit. We shall never forget. God bless the United States of America.”
Nearby, a piece of granite pulled from the point of impact at the Pentagon rests upon a similar base inscribed with these words: ‘From the point of impact on the faÇade of the Pentagon, damaged by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. We remember the 184 citizens who sacrificed their lives there that day so that we may live in freedom. We salute the KVFD units and the rest of the country who responded to this tragedy.’
The $500,000 memorial project, the vision of KVFD President Steven R. Semler, was funded entirely through donations and volunteer labor. The 9/11 Families Association assisted Station 5 in acquiring the beam. ‘This beam is from the point of impact between the 91st and 94th floors. It was given to us by the Port Authority of New York City and the 9/11 Families Association. We went up there, picked it out and brought it back,’ said John E. Thompson.
The Department of Defense provided the block of granite from the Pentagon. Steve Heidenberger, president of Heidenberger Construction, served as project manager, reaching out into the community for contractors willing to contribute materials and labor.
For Heidenberger, the project was deeply personal. His brother, Tom Heidenberger, lost his wife Michelle in the attack on the Pentagon. “I wanted to build this memorial not with money, but with volunteers,” he said.
Tom Heidenberger hopes the memorial will also serve to teach future generations about 9/11. “They’re going to ask, ‘Mommy, Daddy, what is this’’ Each of us will be able to explain to them what happened and the thousands of people who lost their lives that day.”
Following speeches and the dedication of the monuments, a 3,500-pound bell, one of the ‘Bells of Remembrance’ inscribed with the names of the firefighters who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks, was rung in commemoration.
The two monuments comprising this unique memorial rest upon a red brick patio that pulls visitors out of the bustle. Gray bricks are interspersed throughout, engraved with the names of the contractors who contributed to the project.
For a gift of $100, private individuals can have their own names or a message inscribed on a brick as a permanent remembrance. Said Thompson, ‘The money raised (from the sale of the bricks) goes back to the 9/11 Families Association and other similar charitable efforts.’
In 2005, the firehouse was also invited to serve as the site of one of four test rose gardens.
The rose bushes are grown to determine climate hardiness for specific varieties being considered for three memorial rose gardens in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pa.
Several of the varieties are named specifically to commemorate 9/11 with names such as ‘Veterans’ Honor’ ‘Firefighters,’ ‘Forty Heroes’ and ‘September Mourn.’
Jean Ward, a lifetime member of the fire company and the caretaker of the rose garden, said roses were selected ‘because the rose is a sign of remembrance.’
With the 10th anniversary of 9/11 fast approaching, many remembrances will occur as Americans pause to reflect on the greatest attack on the continental U.S. since the devastation of Washington during the War of 1812.
Families and organizations interested in buying a brick can submit requests to https://kvfd.engravedbricks.com/.
Laurie LC Lewis’s award-winning “Free Men and Dreamers” historical fiction series is set amid events of the War of 1812. Volume four, “Oh Say can You See’” was released in 2010. Volume five, “In God is Our Trust,” is set for a summer 2011 release.
Copyright 2011 The Deseret News Publishing Co.