On Friday, Sept. 11, Dawson County Fire and Emergency Services posted a virtual tribute online remembering the events of Sept. 11, 2001. 

The annual Patriot’s Day ceremony usually takes place in person and is open for community members to attend, but this year due to COVID-19 precautions it consisted of a tribute video posted to the Dawson County Fire and Emergency Services Facebook page and the Dawson County Government’s Youtube page posted at 8:46 a.m., the same time that the first plane struck the North Tower at the World Trade Center. 

In the video, Dawson County Fire Chief Danny Thompson addresses community members and anyone else watching with a reminder of what happened on Sept. 11 of 2001 and what the day now stands for.

“Nineteen years ago, cowards took control and hijacked four commercial jet airliners and weaponized them against our American citizens,” Thompson says in the video. “Please take a moment today to reflect and remember the brave men and women who serve our country near and afar; let us never forget those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice."

The video then shows members of the Dawson County Fire Department standing outside the Dawson County Emergency Services headquarters and saluting the American flag, which is lowered to half staff. The video then changes to a slideshow of photos from Sept. 11, 2001, with text laying out a timeline of the events of the day and an audio recording of President George W. Bush’s address to the nation that evening. 

Finally, the video returns to Chief Thompson standing in front of the “Flag of Heroes,” a flag made out of the names of the emergency services personnel who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. Thompson introduces the “tolling of the bells” to end the video in memory of those who gave their lives 19 years ago. 

“The tolling of the bells signifies that our brothers and sisters have returned to quarters and answered their last alarm,” Thompson says in the video. “Thank you for watching our virtual remembrance of Patriot’s Day, and God bless America.”

You can watch the Dawson County Fire and Emergency Services' tribute video on Youtube here.