Station 5 of the Kensington Park Volunteer Fire Department (KVFD) recently unveiled a 9/11 memorial in honor of its members who were among the first-responders when terrorists crashed a hijacked plane into the Pentagon on that day.
Kensington Park Retirement Community was one of the proud sponsors of the $500,000 memorial project. It was a privilege to contribute and recognize our brave neighbors.
The vision of KVFD President Steven R. Semler, the memorial project was funded entirely through donations and volunteer labor.
The members of Station 5 crowded onto their engine and ambulance on 9/11, and were amongst the first at the scene, rescuing the wounded, recovering the dead and battling the fires.
The memorial has two monuments made from portions of the targeted buildings in NYC, and the Pentagon, with moving inscriptions below each.
“This twisted and scarred piece of steel from the point of impact at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, memorializes the 2,976 persons lost that day in New York City, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pa. It also serves as an enduring testament to the American spirit. We shall never forget. God bless the United States of America.”
The The 9/11 Families Association assisted Station 5 in acquiring the beam from the point of impact between the 91st and 94th floors of the World Trade Center in New York.
The second item, a piece of granite pulled from the Pentagon crash site, has this inscription beneath it: “From the point of impact on the facade of the Pentagon, damaged by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. We remember the 184 citizens who sacrificed their lives there that day so that we may live in freedom. We salute the KVFD units and the rest of the country who responded to this tragedy.”
The Department of Defense provided the block of granite from the Pentagon.
