Dozens of firefighters, police officers and community members stood around as the sun hit the Mansfield skyline Friday morning. Conversation buzzed as three empty flagpoles slightly swayed in the wind outside the Mansfield Public Safety Building.
When the clock hit 7:30 a.m. — everyone fell silent.
Arlington-area residents joined others across North Texas to remember the lives lost during the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the subsequent recovery efforts, reflecting on the events now 25 years later.
To nearly 2,000 people in Arlington, this meant dedicating their day to service. Songs like “Y.M.C.A.” and “Beat It” bumped through Esports Stadium Arlington as volunteers cheered and danced while packing hundreds of thousands of meals for hungry local families in North Texas. The effort was organized through the nonprofit organization 9/11 Day through their UNIITE for Good campaign.
“It is a real opportunity to flip the script,” said Tammy Cancela, event manager for the organization. “Because 9/11 was such a heart-wrenching, just shocking and horrific day for America.”
The memory of that day was echoed by the guest of honor, Kenneth Capps. In his opening remarks, Capps shared his first day as the vice president of public affairs at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, which was Sept. 11, 2001. The first document he signed that day — a life insurance plan.
“Nobody knew what that day was going to bring,” Capps said. “It was such a feeling of fear and uncertainty. But we just said we were just to put all that aside and love people that day by doing good deeds like (the ones that) are being done today, right here in Arlington.”
Kenneth Capps smiles with his daughter, Caroline Capps, as at the stage of the Esports Stadium Arlington on Sept. 11, 2026. (Mica Magday | Arlington Report)
Volunteers of all ages helped the cause throughout the day, including Capps’ 16-year-old daughter, Caroline. She requested the day off from school to honor the victims and the people who were on the ground helping others like her parents that day.
“I think it’s really important that (young) people come out here and learn about 9/11,” Caroline said through tears, after hearing her father’s story. “A lot of teenagers and younger people don’t understand it because we weren’t alive … it’s unfathomable to even try to imagine it.”
Caroline agrees with her father that volunteering at events, like the UNIITE for Good campaign, are essential to honoring the legacy of 9/11, whether someone remembers it or not.
“On that day, there was such a feeling of we were not Black or white, not male or female, kids or adults — we are Americans,” Cancela said. “And that’s kind of how it feels today, spreading good.”
Volunteers hug to conclude the morning meal-packing session on Sept. 11, 2026. (Mica Magday | Arlington Report)
Earlier that morning, the Mansfield Fire and Police departments hosted a ceremony to remember the lives lost.
Mansfield Fire Chief Michael Ross still remembers where he was that day. A young firefighter at the time, Ross had gotten into his station after a shift change and was cleaning when he first heard about the plane that hit the north tower of the World Trade Center.
“We realized quickly thereafter that it was an attack on the U.S., and that changed everything, all of our perspectives from that day,” Ross said.
The Mansfield Fire Department carries some of the lives lost with them each day. On each fire truck, a decal with the number 343 symbolizes the number of New York Fire Department firefighters who died on Sept. 11.
Mansfield firefighters stand near a fire truck outside the Mansfield Public Safety Building on Sept. 11, 2026. The 343 decal signifies the number of New York firefighters killed on Sept. 11, 2001. (Chris Moss | Arlington Report)
“It’s very meaningful for us to recognize all of those who gave it all that day,” Ross said. “As you can recall from looking at old footage, as people were coming down the stairs, firefighters were going up to try to save as many people as they could.”
Mansfield Police Chief Tracy Aaron, who remembers pulling his kids out of school during the attacks, said the city sent officers to New York to assist in recovery efforts.
“It’s terrible to think that a horrific event like that occurs to bring people together, but what you see from that is (that) our nation is so strong,” Aaron said. “Not just Mansfield, Texas, but our nation is so strong that we are always going to come back to our core beliefs, and that is love for one another.”
The attacks on Sept. 11 led to the death of 441 first responders — the most emergency personnel killed in a single day in United States history, according to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
Aaron said the statistic brings him the same emotions every time he thinks of that day.
“It’s terrible to lose a first responder, regardless of what role they play, but to lose that many in one particular day with one horrific event is unfathomable,” Aaron said. “Even 25 years later, now you still think about those things today and they’re just as powerful as they were on that day.”
Mansfield resident Michael Orr watched as the flag was hoisted to the top of the flagpole, and then put at half-mast. He said he saw the event on Facebook.
Orr was only 1 year old when the attacks occurred, but showed up to reflect on the events.
“It’s a great tribute that the city did for it,” Orr said. “It is a hard day for the country, but we’re united together, and we’ll push forward from it.”
The ceremony in Mansfield, which included a moment of silence and posting of the colors, ended at roughly 7:42 a.m.
However, city personnel and families stood outside the Public Safety Building for a few more minutes, surrounding a portion of the north tower that was donated to the Mansfield Fire Department for their support in the recovery efforts.
A Mansfield police officer stands next to a Burleson Fire / EMS Department member, looking toward the Mansfield Public Safety Building during a 9/11 remembrance event on Sept. 11, 2026. Between them is a piece of the World Trade Center’s north tower that was given to the Mansfield Fire Department. (Chris Moss | Arlington Report)
Many of those at the building took photos of the steel, or spoke in small groups. At 7:46 a.m., the exact minute when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the north tower, the crowd went silent to hear a radio broadcast to Mansfield’s emergency personnel.
“We remember the personal and national losses on that tragic day,” the voice said over a police radio. “To honor their sacrifices at this time, take a moment of silence and personal reflection. We will never forget.”
Chris Moss is a reporter for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@arlingtonreport.org.
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