Middle Georgians remember victims of 9/11

Low clouds set a somber mood Friday morning at Public Safety Memorial Park on Mulberry Street in Macon.

Dozens of people gathered at the shiny black monuments in honor of fallen local firefighters, Bibb County sheriff’s deputies and Macon police officers.

Macon Regional Crimestoppers board Chairman Warren Selby Jr. chose to gather at 8:45 a.m. for the annual remembrance of the thousands of victims of coordinated terrorist attacks 14 years ago.

It was about the same time on Sept. 11, 2001, when the first passenger plane slammed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.

“It’s a very emotional time,” Selby said. “We look back, and it’s hard to believe it’s been 14 years. ... We are here to say to the family and the friends of those who did lose their lives, we will never forget them.”

The Rev. Ronald Terry, who delivered the invocation in the median park near Second Street, said people must be vigilant against all the evils of this world.

“We must always be reminded that these kind of satanic acts can take place, and we are experiencing here in Macon Georgia, now, with all the lives that are being lost, and all the guns that are being shot, and all the bullets that’s been received,” Terry said. “We still have a lot to do in Macon, Georgia.”

The community has had 20 homicides this year.

As the flag was presented at Friday’s service, members of the Bibb County Sheriff’s Honor Guard sported new uniforms provided by the Macon-Bibb Law Enforcement Foundation.

With aerial ladders crossed in the background, Mayor Robert Reichert, Bibb County Sheriff David Davis, Fire Chief Marvin Riggins and sheriff’s Maj. Tonnie Williams laid a wreath at the base of the local monuments.

The annual service also honors the dedication of all the public safety officers who put their lives on the line.

Ricky Johnson, 22, is one of several new fire recruits who lined the street.

“I am just proud to be a firefighter, and this is something I’ve worked hard to become, and I just like to pay homage to all those fallen and who fought on 9/11 and died trying to save lives,” he said.

Eleven Macon-Bibb firefighters have died on duty in the department’s more than 125-year history.

Riggins commissioned a new pin, with the No. 11 in the center of a golden badge. He wanted it in time for Friday’s memorial.

It reads: “Macon-Bibb fallen but not forgotten.”

Lt. Randy Parker, who was the eleventh victim, died this past Feb. 11 fighting a house fire.

His wife, Sandie, and his sons, Andrew and Chandler, were presented one of the pins during the ceremony which fell on the eve of what would have been Parker’s 47th birthday.

As if a reminder of the continual dangers public safety officers face, two fire units were called to a blown transformer at Northeast High School at the conclusion of the ceremony.

Some in the crowd waved as firefighters left with sirens wailing.

***

In Warner Robins, a similar ceremony honoring first responders was held outside the Warner Robins Law Enforcement Center.

“As citizens of this community, we need to make sure that we pay tribute and we thank our public safety personnel and our military people every day -- not just on this special day,” said Warner Robins Mayor Randy Toms, who served 27 years as a firefighter and has authored a book, “Just a Fireman.”

“We need to let them know how grateful we are for what they’re doing, and how much we appreciate that they are standing in the gap for us. ... I pray that today would be a day for us to console each other and to remember but also to give praise because of the great nation that we live in that is able to overcome adversity and press forward.”

Toms noted that such adversity can only be overcome “when we join together as a team and we work for the same common goals.”

Perry Mayor Jimmy Faircloth and Centerville Mayor Pro-tem Jon Nichols also spoke at the ceremony. State Sen. Ross Tolleson, R-Perry, and state Rep. Shaw Blackmon, R-Warner Robins, also were on hand.

“If we woke up tomorrow and all these people were gone and all the law enforcement, everybody was gone, there would be anarchy in the streets,” Tolleson said. “But we have a great quality of life because of all of these people, and we thank God for them.”

In his invocation praising and uplifting first responders, the Rev. Henry Childs, a retired military officer and chairman of the Houston County Republican Party, quoted the Biblical passage of John 15:13 that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

The ceremony included the presentation of the colors, singing of the national anthem by Byron Chamberlain, assistant chief of fire prevention at Robins Air Force Base, and a litany of remembrances.

Also, numerous first responders were recognized by name, and the large crowd that gathered in front of the law enforcement center joined in singing “God Bless America.”

To contact writer Liz Fabian, call 744-4303, or find her on Twitter@liz_lines. To contact writer Becky Purser, call 256-9559, or find her on Twitter@becpurser.

This story was originally published September 11, 2015 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Middle Georgians remember victims of 9/11 ."