Richmond honors lives lost 25 years after the 9/11 attacks

RICHMOND, Va. — Dozens of veterans and families gathered at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond Friday morning to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks during the Commonwealth's annual Patriot Day ceremony.

Sharon Thomas, a New York native who was home in Queens when the Twin Towers were attacked, attended the ceremony and shared her memories of that day.

"It was debris in the air, like you can see debris on the terrace, on the ground. You don't know whether that's a body part, clothes," Thomas said.

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Thomas said she could see the aftermath of the attacks from her neighborhood.

"You can actually see the cloud of smoke because you can see Manhattan," Thomas said.

Twenty-five years later, Thomas said she still remembers the fear she felt, including the death of her close friend Tina, and the uncertainty that followed the attacks.

"Scared to send your children back to school. Scared to go to work. Scared to go with public transportation. It was just — it was a very nerve-wracking," Thomas said.

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Nearly 3,000 lives were lost that day, and the ceremony honored the families affected, as well as first responders and service members who answered the call in the aftermath.

Keynote Speaker Timothy P. Williams, Secretary of Virginia Veterans and Defense Affairs, spoke during the ceremony.

"The best way to honor those we lost is not simply to remember how they died, it's to remember how they lived," Williams said.

Three tolls of a memorial bell echoed during the ceremony, commanding a moment of silence for the lives lost.

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Thomas said ceremonies like Patriot Day serve an important purpose in keeping the memory of September 11 alive.

"It's not a fairy tale. It's actually something that really happened, you get a better feel of history when you're right here and have these ceremonies, as opposed to just seeing it in a history book," Thomas said.

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