9/11 Memorial in South Lake Tahoe honors first responders and military

September 11, 2001 at 5:51 a.m. PST/ 8:51 a.m. local New York time. Its one of those days, and times, that people remember what they were doing at the exact moment the images of the first airplane guided by terrorists hitting a tower of the World Trade Center.

September 11, 2001 at 6:03 a.m. PST/ 9:03 a.m. local New York time. As most of the nation was watching their televisions or listening to their radios, the second tower of the World Trade Center was hit by another airplane.

34 minutes later the Pentagon was hit, and 26 minutes after that the fourth hijacked airplane went down in a field in Pennsylvania.

It took just 72 minutes, yet it changed America forever. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost since 9/11/01 in the fighter against terrorism.

Today, on the 15th anniversary of those horrible events, the American Legion Post 795 in South Lake Tahoe held a commemorative ceremony attended by about 100 law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical personnel, veterans and the community.

The ceremony began with striking the four-fives by Post Chaplain Curt Emrie, a long-honored tradition of fire houses to render final honors.

Emrie honored the first responders in attendence from area departments including South Lake Tahoe Police, Fire, Fallen Leaf Fire, Tahoe Douglas Fire and Cal Fire.

"Families kiss their loved ones good-bye as they leave for work every day as police, fire and other first responders, an inherently dangerous job," said Emrie of the daily sacrifice many experience on a daily basis.

Mayor Wendy David address the crowd, guiding them through the events of that fateful day.

As the second tower was hit, her husband Kerry looked at her and said, "This changes everything, nothing will ever be the same."

On that day, 2,977 people were killed in the towers, 246 on the airplanes and another 125 at the Pentagon. 343 firefighters died as they responded, along with 37 Port Authority and New Jersey Police Officers, 23 New York City Police Officers and 8 paramedics, EMTs and emergency medical personnel.

Those men and women ran towards the attacks, and now away from it, Emrie said, and for that sacrifice there were honored today.

Emrie closed the ceremony with the ringing of the bell again, this time he struck it 11 times, one for each major conflict the United States has been involved from the American Revolution to the War on Terror.