Michiana remembers 9/11 with 21-mile March to the Memorial

 

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. - The sound of bagpipes started the 21-mile “March to the Memorial” walk Monday morning to honor and remember the lives lost during the terror attacks on 9/11.

At 9:11 a.m., members of the community gathered to honor the day with a walk to the 9/11 memorial in St. Patrick's County Park in South Bend.

There are seven stops along the route, at South Bend and Notre Dame fire houses, and a special lunch from Mission BBQ.

Bob Lyons is the founder of March to the Memorial. He was working for a company in New York back in September of 2001.

“This is becoming a part of who I am,” he said. “And so, I'll be here every year til my body says no. It's sort of my job and my calling to make sure that we never forget.”

Retired veterans, active service members and Michiana community members gathered and walked to honor the victims who lost their lives.

After I walked with the group the first three miles to the first firehouse, I talked with Cindy Laney. She was in lower Manhattan when the attack occurred.

“I heard the second plane come up behind me,” said Laney. “And I watched it crash into the South Tower and was trapped on the tip of Manhattan with a few other people at Battery Park. Saw a lot of people go that day.”

You could see and hear the emotion as she described her experience to me.

Laney and other group members discussed the importance of events like these.

“If we don't know our history, then we don't know ourselves,” she said. “This is ingrained in all of us. I will never forget that day personally for a lot of obvious reasons.”

This day is personal to me. I was born and raised in New York and was serving in the Marines during 9/11, and ended up spending 17 years with the NYPD.

It was a great experience for me this morning, meeting and talking with members of the community, and I appreciate them allowing me to share their story.