California 9/11 Memorial bears witness to first responders, honors thousands

Hundreds of service personnel, community members and media gather each year at Pelco by Schneider Electric Property in Clovis to acknowledge and honor the loss of thousands of civilians and public servicemen during the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Community members discuss significance of remembering the lives of those fallen and reflect on the tragedies of this event each year, especially in a time where many current high school students were not alive during the attack.

Feather journalists Vijay Stephen, ’21, and Bryce Foshee, ’21, speak with various public officials, including NYC Firefighter during the 9/11 attacks, Andy Isolano, and California 9/11 Memorial Executive Director, Anna Borgeas to hear their opinions on the significance of remembering 9/11 in 2019.

Borgeas was in charge of overseeing the construction of the new 9/11 replicas, adding 1/100 scale models of the Twin Towers and Pentagon to the memorial as well as a bronze statue of New York City firefighters.

The ceremony was highlighted by a short parade of local law enforcement, including a motorcade of firetrucks and motorcycles. Sounds of bagpipes and a 21-gun salute could be heard throughout the parade.

The memorial at Pelco began in 2001, just three months after 2001 attacks. Speakers also remember philanthropist and former CEO David McDonald. Mr. McDonald was a man deeply impacted by the terrorist attacks of that day on Sept. 11. He donated thousands of dollars to the Pelco memorial through out the years. As time went on, this small event grew larger, becoming the official 9/11 memorial service for the state of California. To learn more about the memorial, visit california911memorial.com.

The video below shows The Feather’s student coverage of the California 9/11 Memorial in Clovis, Sept. 11, 2019.

For more Feather videos check out last years 9/11 video, Fresno area gathers to remember 9/11

Also check out our article for the 9/11 memorial NYFD first responder, Andy Isolano, speaks during California 9/11 Memorial