KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - American and NATO service members from units around Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, gathered at the Boardwalk in what was the last 9/11 remembrance ceremony to be held by troops during Operation Enduring Freedom, Sept. 11, 2014.
The main stage of the KAF boardwalk was decorated with a temporary memorial of free-standing walls adorned with the photos of all the American and coalition service members who died in support of OEF. Behind the lectern on the stage was another memorial, draped in the American flag, which listed all the names of the victims and deceased first responders of the suicide attacks on 9/11.
"Sixty-two countries lost citizens that morning as two planes flew into the towers," said Maj. Gen. Michael Bills, commander of Regional Command-South and Combined Joint Task Force-1, during his address. "Serving here today are 10 of those countries continuing a mission from that day on.
"In December 2001, coalition forces seized Kandahar Airfield from the Taliban and began a legacy of service that you all represent," Bills continued. "As we continue to move forward to a new era in service in Afghanistan, we will carry on the legacy of those who came before us here and we'll carry the memory of our fallen comrades and those that lost their lives that fateful day in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C."
Air Force Maj. David Barns, the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing chaplain, gave a speech during the ceremony on the American spirit.
"No words, no ceremonies, no plaques or stones, no amount of tears will ever replace our losses," he said. "But what this remembrance ceremony can do is remind us to take nothing for granted, appreciate our freedoms, count our blessings and strive to help our fellow man.
"Our American Spirit is defined by our ability to move forward in the aftermath of overwhelming losses, even when it seems easy to quit," continued Barns. "The spirit is defined by the ability to rebuild stronger and more united in purpose."
Along with the guest speakers, the remembrance ceremony included a moment of silence followed by the playing of taps.
"For the military member, the bugle call of "Taps" symbolizes the end of the day," said 1st Lt. Nancy Rodriguez, the master of ceremonies, with the 831st Transportation Battalion. "However, through the course of time, the playing of "Taps" has come to symbolize the end of life's day... It is one of the most sacred moments of remembrance for those of us in the uniformed service of our country."
Also during the ceremony, while a bagpiper played "Amazing Grace," Airmen with the Kandahar Airfield Honor Guard folded an American flag that will be given to a Gold Star family, a family which has lost a member in combat. The significance of the flag is that it was carried all night long by different runners during the Run for the Fallen, a 13-hour event where service members ran to remember the fallen heroes of OEF.
Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Amanda Saenz, a surgical technician at the KAF Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit, said that the ceremony brought her back to why she's serving.
"You forget what this is all about or why you're serving here and then you see these faces," she said of the pictures of the fallen, " and you're here at the ceremony and you come to the realization of why you're here. It's touching. It's really touching."
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