The sound of a bell pierced the silence of a clear morning Thursday as people gathered at the Sgt. Robert Wayne Crow Jr. Armory in Joplin to remember the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
The ceremony was held as a central part of the Heartland Patriots Festival going on this week. It included the national anthem, presentation of the colors and the reading of a timeline of events of the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Each segment of the 9/11 story was punctuated by the ringing of a bell.
“On this solemn day, we remember the nearly 3,000 lives that were cruelly taken from us on Sept. 11, 2001,” said Brian Jones, vice president of OurVeteransFirst and a retired U.S. Navy chief, as he read the sequence of events. “We honor the courage and selflessness of the first responders and every individual that made sacrifices that day. May we never forget.”
Jones said the ceremony was a way to compassionately honor and remember the 2,975 people killed during the terrorist attack. It’s also to remember the many who rose in service as a response — first responders, volunteers, rescue and recovery workers, uniformed safety personnel and those who answered the call to service in the nation’s armed forces.
Thursday’s event was a traditional ceremony active-duty Navy members perform every year, Jones said. Even if they are out at sea, they gather on the ship’s bow and hold the remembrance with a bell.
In the Navy, bells are used for many purposes with specific cadences, he said. Ringing the bell to remember that day is powerful, and he said it gave him chills to hear the ringing with the Sept. 11 story. Jones said he wanted to share that with the community.
Thursday’s ceremony was attended by members of the Neosho High School Air Force JROTC, who stood at attention throughout the event. Jones said the remembrance ceremony was as important for them as it was for him.
“That event impacted a generation, but you also have to think that it was 24 years ago,” Jones said. “There are adults walking around that weren’t even born when it happened. If you are old enough to remember that day, everyone remembers where they were at, what they were doing, what they felt. It was like our Dec. 7.”
Cory Moates, a firefighter with the Galena, Kansas, Fire Department and reserve commander with the Cherokee County Sheriff Department, rang the bell for Thursday’s event. Moates also brought a memorial tribute in the form of his aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle, a specialized firetruck designed for rapid response and firefighting at airports.
The ARFF Oshkosh Striker 3000 was retired out of John F. Kennedy International Airport. The address on its title was the World Trade Center.
Moates purchased the truck at the end of 2024 and said it’s been a 20-year dream of he and his wife to build a veterans tribute. It took about four months for the design. The truck’s wrap features the famous photo of first responders raising the American flag at ground zero by Thomas E. Franklin, troops raising the American flag at Iwo Jima and the National League of Families POW/MIA flag.
“Being a fireman and in law enforcement for many years, Sept. 11 is very dear to my heart,” Moates said. “Veterans are also very special to me. You can never do enough for the veterans, ever. This is a way we can help honor them.”
Moates said the truck is definitely an attention-getter. When driving on the highway, he has to really watch people because they will drive beside him and take photos of it. In maneuvering an 11-foot-wide truck, he has to be a good defensive driver.
The memorial truck will be attending several events around the community in the coming months. Moates said children like the truck because it’s big. Most people are shocked and unsure of what kind of vehicle it is. Once they find out its New York history, everybody has a great appreciation for its message of remembrance, he said.