Elected officials and first responders gathered outside Covenant Health Park to observe the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
“America changed 25 years ago today,” said Knoxville Police Department Chaplain Pam Neal. “Our country was under attack like they had never been before.”
A moment of silence was held, followed by the tolling of a bell to mark the exact time hijackers crashed the first plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
Following the ceremony, hundreds of firefighters and Junior ROTC students from schools across Knox County climbed flights of stairs to honor the 343 firefighters who lost their lives.
“I think that's important that we don't forget and we continue to focus year after year on the sacrifices they made,” said firefighter McLean Zaitz.
