PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. - Picatinny Arsenal officials observed the 23rd annual remembrance of the September 11, 2001, attacks against our nation with a wreath-laying ceremony at the installation’s headquarters flagpole on Wednesday.
The remembrance ceremony honors all those who lost their lives on 9/11 and those who have died while serving in overseas contingency operations since those tragic events.
Chaplain Joseph Lawhorn asked Picatinny employees to pray and remember the thousands of Americans and people from other nations who died after two aircraft attacks that caused the collapse of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in New York City, the aircraft attack on the Pentagon, and the downing of United Airlines Flight 93 into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 11, 2001.
“The attacks on that day were intended to strike fear at the very heart of our nation’s principles and ideals,” said Maj. Gen. John T. Reim, Picatinny Arsenal’s Commanding General and Joint Program Executive Officer for Armaments and Ammunition. “They sought to create fear, division, and uncertainty among us. But they failed. They failed because the spirit of this nation—its resilience and bravery—proved stronger than any act of terror and clearly demonstrated to the world the strength of American resolve.”
“We saw firsthand the extraordinary courage of our first responders,” the general said to the audience. “While others fled to safety, they ran toward danger. It’s impossible to think of 9/11 without remembering the firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical personnel who, without hesitation, put their lives on the line to save others.
“For the two decades of conflict since that fateful day, we owe a debt of gratitude to our brave first responders and our Joint Warfighters, whom we have sworn to protect. We earn their trust daily as the Department of Defense’s ‘Joint Center of Excellence for Guns and Ammunition’, providing safe, reliable, and lethal armaments and ammunition to the Joint Forces and our international allies. Every advancement we make, every solution we develop, and every challenge we overcome here at Picatinny, strengthens our nation and deters our adversaries.”
Following the wreath laying by Reim and Command Sgt. Maj. David M. Franks, Marines assigned to 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines (2/25), Golf Company, at Picatinny, remembered the fallen with a 21-gun salute, followed by a Marine bugler playing “Taps.”
Captain Nolan Rampulla of the Picatinny Arsenal Fire Department played “Amazing Grace,” on the bagpipes.
After the remembrance ceremony, and comments from Fire Chief Troy Christman, the Picatinny Arsenal Fire Department hosted a moving flag tribute where the American flag will be carried continuously for 24 hours over a 1.3-mile course by Picatinny Arsenal employees, service members, and families.
Social Sharing