TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Tallahassee paused to remember the lives lost and the first responders who ran toward danger, gathering around a piece of steel from the Twin Towers now displayed at a local memorial.
The memorial site includes a steel beam that organizers said took years to secure and place. “We were able to acquire the steel beam and it took about 12 years to find a place and we finally got it here and through efforts of Team Guardian and other donations, we were able to get this done,” said Mike Terhune, founder of Team Guardian and a retired fire lieutenant.
Terhune founded Team Guardian, a nonprofit that connects veterans and first responders with resources. He and other retired first responders helped build the memorial, including David Dowdy and Jerry Coe, both retired fire lieutenants and members of Team Guardian.
Dowdy said, “My favorite part was setting the beam.”
Organizers said the memorial is meant to be more than a structure of steel and concrete, and they hope it continues to draw visitors long after anniversary ceremonies end. “We would love to see more people come out and get involved to pay their respects after all these years. And just never forget, always remember what this means to so many people,” Dowdy said.
For the men who helped build it, the remembrance is personal. Coe recalled the images of first responders on Sept. 11, saying, “You can see on their faces that they knew this was it they were not coming back I just got that feeling that’s always been with me.”
Terhune said the impact of Sept. 11 extended beyond that day, including losses tied to the war on terror. “There’s a lot of us who were affected directly because we have 13 from Leon County who were killed in the war on terror in Iraq or Afghanistan,” he said.
Team Guardian said the memorial is open around the clock and lit at night, giving people a place to learn, reflect and remember throughout the year.