Fairfax Station ❖ Clifton ❖ Lorton Cool Rides Community, Page 12 Fairfax resident Larry Brooks, of the Brothers’ Rods Car Club, proudly displays his 1929 Ford at the Clifton Labor Day Car Show. Follow on Twitter: @LFSCConnection on Twitter: Follow Classified, Page 16 Classified, ❖ Calendar, Page 14 Wellbeing Fitness Coaches Page 10 Requested in home 9-9-11 home in Requested Time sensitive material. sensitive Time Memories Postmaster: Attention PERMIT #322 PERMIT Of 9/11 MD Easton, PAID News, Page 3 Postage U.S. PRSRT STD PRSRT Photo By Bonnie Hobbs/The Connection online at www.connectionnewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.comSeptember 8-14, 2011 Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ September 8-14, 2011 ❖ 1 2 ❖ Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ September 8-14, 2011 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Lorton/Fairfax Station/Clifton Connection Editor Michael O’Connell News 703-778-9416 or [email protected] Personal Reflections of 9-11-2001 ept. 11, 2001. 9-11-01. 911. The Braddock District office. The radio was alive emergency number. No matter how Ten years later, locals remember how the with reports about the attacks in New York, Sone says it, 911 has supplanted events of Sept. 11, 2001 unfolded for them. and then reported that the Pentagon had Dec. 7, 1941, in the national lexi- also been struck. con as a “day that will live in infamy.” The “When I arrived in my office, my staff was date has become a cultural touchstone, a cause we were wondering how our broth- “I was in a Revitalization Committee all glued to the radio and TV, listening to moment when everyone remembers where ers were doing up there. meeting with my colleagues and county information about the Pentagon and false they were, what they were doing and how “One of my friends, we’ve talked about it staff at the Government Center. The County claims that the White House and other fed- they felt when terrorists slammed two over time, and he Executive was eral buildings had been attacked. I tried to planes into the World Trade Center towers made the comment called out of the reach my husband at the Justice Depart- and one into the Pentagon, killing more that you guys had it room for a ment but all circuits were jammed. than 3,000 Americans. far worse down there minute along “It was a chaotic day. By evening, I settled Most people remember watch- with Chairman down with Lou in our rec room calling, or ing the live shot of the second trying to call, family and plane smashing into the south friends to check on tower; and more remember the everyone’s well-being, or indelible image of a billion letting out-of-town loved pounds of steel, stone and bodies ones know that we were hurtling down when the south okay. I remember the next tower collapsed 56 minutes after morning. It was a gorgeous it was struck. But perhaps the sunny day and all planes most important number was this: had been ordered out of how many lost? A decade later, the sky. I got up early and it’s still the words of New York went for a run. As I was City’s former mayor, Rudy running, house by house, Giuliani, that resonate as much people began displaying as President Franklin D. the American flag. It looked Roosevelt’s radio address about like the Fourth of July, only Dec. 7, 1941. Covered in ash af- more so. ter walking to a deserted fire sta- “That evening our Fairfax tion from his office near the tow- County’s Faith Communi- ers, Giuliani urged calm and said: ties in Action hosted a beau- “The number of casualties will be Ron Gemsheim Sharon Bulova, right, with her tiful all-faiths candlelight more than any of us can bear ul- sister Marmie Schuster-Walker Eric Eberhardt ceremony at the Govern- timately.” ment Center. It was a very As the 10th anniversary of 9- beautiful and powerful event and 11 approaches, The Connection helped forge a strong and enduring asked people for their reflections partnership between the County and Photos by Photos of that day. Where were they? the many faith leaders who serve our What do they remember? What community. It continues to this day.” is the significance of the 10th an- Sharon Bulova, chairman, niversary? Ross Victoria Fairfax County Board of Supervisors — Victoria Ross “It was shocking. I came here from “I was sitting in the fire house, Nepal in 2006. The events of 9/11 and we got dispatched to The /The Connection remind me of the difference between Pentagon. They told us to go on a narrow-minded people, and people reconnaissance mission to find who have freedom of speech and re- out if there’s anybody alive in ligion. America is a place where there. I have 27 years with the de- people can speak their mind. … partment now. “When the earthquake happened “At the time, you think you’re Krishna Sharma on Aug. 23, I was with my children prepared for it, physically and Steven Bonkoski Everett Eberhardt at the Tyson’s Galleria and, as every- mentally, but a little while later it one ran outside, it made me wonder catches up with you. Kate Hanley (D-At-large). At the time I was if this was another terrorist attack, “I had to go back every night that week, than we had it up here, and I’m thinking supervisor of the Braddock District. Kate because it is something that you think about helping with clean-up and recovery. I teach ‘How can that be?’ because they lost 343 came back into the room and sat down next now. If 9/11 hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t fire departments around the country, and a firefighters. He said ‘Yeah, but you had to to me. She leaned toward me and whispered have thought about a terrorist attack.” couple of guys I teach with are from New watch it. Up here, it was just disintegration ‘a plane just flew into one of the World — Krishna Sharma, president and York City, and we’ve also had a couple of all around us. You saw the bodies, you saw Trade Center buildings,’ she said, ‘followed CEO of Vision for Nepal firefighters from Fairfax take jobs in New the buildings fall down.’ by a second plane.’ I tried to process this programming, West Springfield York City. In fact one of the guys, and I still “I guess 9/11 is the new Pearl Harbor Day, information, then leaned toward Kate and get goose bumps talking about it, one of because they are similar attacks. … It’s asked ‘Do they think it was terrorism?’ She “On 9/11, I was in my kitchen and I got a the guys who was trapped in the tower ironic, I’m flying on the 10th anniversary. shook her head ‘Yes.’ call from my wife. … She said ‘Hans turn when it came down was one of ours. His I’m teaching a class of firefighters in Okla- “I remember thinking that this was a on your TV, now.’ And they were replaying name is Bill Butler. He was one of the ‘Lucky homa City. I flew on the fifth anniversary pretty significant event and looked around and replaying and replaying the initial air- Six from Ladder 6.’ He used to be a Fairfax too.” the room amazed that the meeting was go- craft hitting the World Trade Center tower, firefighter. That was the hard part too, be- — Ron Gemsheim, Fairfax County ing on ‘as usual.’ I left the meeting early See Memories, Page 4 Fire & Rescue Department and got into my car to head back to my www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ September 8-14, 2011 ❖ 3 News Briefs News Memories of Sept. 11, 2001 From Page 3 and working with other jurisdictions. I feel safer in Photo by Yvonne Landis by Yvonne Photo and then I saw live the second plane, and I’m think- our department and our ability to handle a (crisis).” ing terrorists, it has to be that. I have friends in in- — Steven Bonkoski, Fairfax County telligence, and they said that for decades to come Fire and Rescue Department, Fairfax [Islamic extremists] are going to be on the front burner of for us. So the pain I felt was about the “When it happened, I was at Lanier Middle School huge chasm of misunderstandings the Islamic world and they immediately shuffled everybody into the has for the western world. And then another thought cafeteria. It was the worst thing that could possibly was about the extreme dislike and distrust that [ex- happen. You imagine the worst. Is this a terrorist at- tremists] have for western corporate capitalism, be- tack? Should we go under the desks? Because you From left, Del. David Bulova (D-37), Supervisor cause that’s a central issue. … There’s still a lot of don’t have the 9/11 perspective, you don’t know John Cook (R-Braddock), U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly pain that we feel about that day, and the past de- what’s happening. We saw the planes crashing, and (D-11) and Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34) attend Sept. cade has, perhaps, given us more questions than an- there was a lot of confusion. 1. the ribbon-cutting for the Robinson Rams new swers.” “When I look back now, I think there are so many outdoor track and field facility at Coffey Stadium. — Hans Sawyer, photographer, ways to approach this.