Lavender ribbons adorned the Tree of Remembrance as a newly laid wreath rested in the Garden of Hope. The police and fire department color guard looked in a moment of silence to remember those affected by events that struck the nation seven years ago.
About 70 county government employees attended the ceremony Thursday to honor the victims and survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The event was held at the Garden of Hope, a memorial built in 2002 in the south area of Ellicott City's Centennial Park.
"It also helps us to take a minute to think about all the people who have sacrificed themselves in our nation's defense," County Executive Ken Ulman said after the brief ceremony. "Even though you see less citizens [at the ceremonies], it's important for county government to reflect."
Ulman, county Police Chief William J. McMahon, Chief Joseph Herr of the Department of Fire and Rescue Services, and Sheriff James Fitzgerald participated in the laying of the wreath.
After the wreath was displayed and those who attended observed a moment of silence, all were invited to tie a ribbon onto the Tree of Remembrance.
In addition to the proximity of the attacks to the county, the events of Sept. 11 hold significance for Howard County in another way. McMahon said that members of the Police Department were asked the day after the attacks to assist the Joint Terrorism Task Force and that one member is still serving in that effort.
County fire and rescue employees helped arrange funerals for firefighters in New York for about a month after the attacks, Herr said.
Some of the terrorists involved in the attacks had stayed in a North Laurel motel for some time. After the motel's closing, Herr said, the fire department trained there and found engravings from the terrorists on one of the doors.
Ulman noted that the ceremony served as a time to reflect on those fire and police employees serving in the armed forces overseas.
"As you get further away from it, there's a tendency to not remember," McMahon said.
Courtney Jones and Liane Sayers were enjoying the day in the park with their young daughters when they stopped to observe the ceremony. Jones said she was a junior at Frostburg State University when the attacks occurred and watched on television as the second plane hit the Twin Towers complex.
"I remember everything about it," the 30-year-old Pasadena resident said. "I remember every little detail."
