AMARILLO, Texas. (KVII)—A quarter-century after the Sept. 11 attacks, people gathered at the Texas Panhandle War Memorial Center in Amarillo to remember those who died and to honor the first responders and civilians who helped in the aftermath.

Among those marking the anniversary was Sharon Dunfrund, a survivor who worked at the Pentagon for 33 years and was inside the building when American Airlines Flight 77 struck it. Dunfrund said Sept. 11 is not just a date in history for her, but a day she lived through.

“I was in total disbelief that anybody in the world would turn around and attack the United States at home. I mean, I just nobody believed it. It they said, that can’t be,” Dunfrund said.

Dunfrund was away from her office at the time of the attack, a decision that may have saved her life.

She also recalled the fear her family felt as they tried to reach her.

“My mom was scared to death because, like I said, she she knew where my desk was, like, I mean, exactly where it was. And she was just whatever. Because when I finally got through to her and like I said, they let us have a free call. and my aunt answered it and she says, Betty, Sharon’s on the phone and my mom says, oh, thank God,” Dunfrund said.

In the chaos, Dunfrund said she remembers people stepping forward to help. “We are working with the people who are trying to get relief to the people that have already been wounded and moved out,” she said.

Tim Reid, executive director of the Panhandle War Memorial Center, said the ceremony is meant to keep that spirit of people helping people alive, noting that civilians played key roles at multiple sites that day.

“There were a lot of civilians that jumped in that day, and helped out at what we would say, ground zero, whether it was at, the World Trade Center or the Pentagon. And we know that it was civilians who took that plane down in Pennsylvania. So, it’s not only a ceremony about the first responders, it’s also about those civilians who, showed the better side of themselves, that day and realized that there could be bigger problems if they didn’t help and they didn’t do something,” Reid said.

Organizers described the commemoration as a promise passed from one generation to the next — to remember the lives lost, the courage shown and the unity that followed.