McClellan Senior Living residents, visitors pay tribute to 9/11 victims Monday

Sep. 11—More than 125 people gathered at McClellan Senior Living on Monday for a memorial tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Local first responders, residents, veterans, widows of veterans and U.S. Army personnel all paid their respects during an afternoon filled with patriotic speeches, music and food.

Kelly Lee, executive director of McClellan Senior Living, said the tribute was part of a week-long celebration during National Assisted Living week.

"We're very excited, we want to honor our first responders," Lee said.

Lt. Col. Edgar Cancel thanked the crowd for the opportunity to participate in the tribute.

"But I especially want to thank all the veterans, all the first responders, all the widows of first responders," Cancel said.

The lieutenant asked the mostly red-white-and-blue-clad crowd to wave the various military-themed flags to much applause before he led them in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Cancel then introduced the keynote speaker, Lt. Col. Terry Quarles, who gave a detailed timeline of the events as they unfolded on that fateful day.

Quarles was working as a deputy project manager at the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) on 9-11.

"On the morning of 11 September 2001, 19 terrorists from an Islamic group hijacked four commercial aircraft, crashed them into the north and south towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and then one in a field in western Pennsylvania about 20 minutes out of D.C." Quarles said.

Quarles said the people who perished in the terrorist attacks were from 93 different countries.

"That's a terrorist attack," Quarles said as he recalled watching on television the second aircraft hitting the World Trade Center's south tower on 9/11.

Quarles said the CDP had 70 first responders, a HAZMAT class from Arlington, Va., and three battalion chiefs who needed to get back home.

"Since nothing was flying, everything in the United States had been grounded, we were tasked to get these responders back home," he said.

Quarles said two buses were chartered that were led by Alabama State Troopers until state troopers in adjoining states took over the task of getting the responders back home.

"We got them back to their jurisdiction within 12 hours," Quarles said.

Quarles said mobile training teams were dispatched to Ground Zero in New York to train first responders around the scene on how to deal with recovery of human remains in the rubble.

Anniston police Chief Nick Bowles appreciated being able to address the crowd.

"Everybody knows the firefighters, the police officers and civilians that were killed that day and we do honor them with this but I am honored to be sitting in front of the veterans and the widows of the veterans that are here today," Bowles said, "Especially you guys and gals that were in Vietnam, the way you guys were treated when you came back is a tragedy and continues to this day with some of the younger guys coming back from Iraq."

Jason Brown, Anniston fire marshal, said the real heroes were sitting in front of him.

"The real heroes here today are you guys, the veterans, the families of veterans," Brown said.

James Short, 80, a resident of McClellan Senior Living, served with the Air Force in Vietnam during 1965-66.

Short was very humbled by the displays of appreciation that he and the other veterans were receiving Monday.

"It means a whole lot, it's like missing so much that we should have had back years ago," Short said.

Jean Cooper, a widow of an Army veteran, was wearing a shirt embossed with a skyline of New York City that featured the twin towers. Cooper said her husband had died in 1998.

"It's just in memory of these wonderful people that served our country so faithfully, gave their lives for us to be free and we appreciate them all who gave us this honor and freedom," Cooper said.

Staff writer Bill Wilson: 256-235-3562. On Twitter @bwilson_star.