JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. - –
Many of today's U.S. Service members joined the military after the 9/11 attacks. Several of them were in school during the attacks. At the time, some may not have fully understood what happened in New York City, Washington D.C, and Shanksville, Penn.
The Remembrance Rescue Project organization traveled to Fort Eustis, Virginia with the Fire Department of New York's Rescue 4 memorial fire truck, Aug. 26.
"We travel with this truck as an educational opportunity for those who were too young to grasp the events of 9/11, and how that forever changed the country as a whole," said David Topczynski, Newport News Fire Department firefighter medic. "A lot of today's Service members joined because of the attacks that day. We want to give them a reminder of why they serve, and give them hope and encouragement."
The project is run by an organization of firefighters who purchased Rescues 3, 4 and 5, which were scheduled to be scrapped because they were too damaged from the debris of the attacks. Parts from Rescue 3 were used to restore Rescues 4 and 5, although they still have damage from the debris. One truck travels along each coast to remind Americans of the firefighters who lost their lives trying to save others that day.
Eight firefighters responded to the Twin Towers on Rescue 4; all eight died in the buildings, and some of their bodies never recovered.
"We travel as a rolling memorial to bring a piece of the 9/11 attacks home for people around the country to remember those who gave their lives," said Topczynski. "We want people to be able to reach out and reconnect to the lives lost, and remember those were actual people, not just names on the side of a truck."
For some who joined the Armed Forces before the attacks, it brings back memories and holds a special meaning for why they continue to serve.
"My wife and I were both working in the Pentagon the day of the attacks," said U.S. Army Col. Cameron Leiker, former U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Headquarters chief knowledge officer. "Seeing this truck reminds me that we are a country that was founded on the free and the brave, and when we are attacked on our home soil, the American people will always come together as a family and do what we need to in order to help ourselves as well as the people around us."
According to the project website, the Remembrance Rescue Project works with fire departments throughout the country to host the rescues and facilitate educational programming, memorials and remembrance events. The Remembrance Rescue Project strives to keep the memories alive of those lost on 9/11, and all of the firefighters killed in the line of duty every year.
The Newport News Fire Department will host the Remembrance Rescue Project truck for three weeks, traveling through the Hampton Roads area through Sept. 8. For more information, visit the project website at www.remembrance.com, or the Newport News Fire Fighters Association website at
www.iafflocal794.org.