GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Our country united again in remembrance of the tragedy that shook the world on 9/11. Never forgotten, the lives lost, and the Ground Zero heroes, bold and fearless that day, were honored throughout San Angelo, Texas on Sept. 11, 2025.
The 344th Military Intelligence Battalion kicked the day off with physical training dedicated to Ground Zero Heroes. Each exercise correlated to emergency responders’ sacrifices and hard work during recovery efforts. Following a 3.43-mile ruck, soldiers executed high and low crawls, buddy drags, mountain climbers and more, numbered by how emergency responders navigated the collapsing towers to rescue as many as possible.
“Look around at the people to your left and right.” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jonathan Houck, an Advanced Individual Training instructor. “You’re sweating, exhausted, and out of breath from the last hour of hard work. You dug deep and found your resolve. What we did today pales in comparison to the efforts of the firefighters, law enforcement, and emergency medical personnel on 9/11. Every step, every repetition, and every drop of sweat was a small way to honor the legacy of those we lost.”
Marked by a steel beam pulled from the Ground Zero wreckage and adorned by thousands of U.S. flags in memory of the victims and first responders lost, a formal memorial service was held on the city’s 9/11 monument. The San Angelo Fire and Police Departments hosted the service that morning, where despite mourning the devastation caused by the four coordinated terrorist attacks on the United States, city leaders emphasized the unwavering strength of the American people.
U.S. Air Force Col. Jason Gerber, 17th Training Group commander, recounted the sheer disbelief and uncertainty as he witnessed United Airlines Flight 175 strike the south tower on live TV that day.
“I think we all forget a little bit how much unknown we went through in those moments as the September 11 attacks occurred,” said Gerber.
Gerber thanked first responders for their bravery and communities like San Angelo for the support of uniformed members and their families during a time of gross uncertainty.
“The bravery exhibited by the first responders on September 11 serves as an inspiration to all of us,” said Gerber. “Their actions remind us that courage is not the absence of fear but the determination to act in the face of it.”
On Goodfellow Air Force Base, a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony took place at Louis F. Garland Fire Academy, commemorating the 403 emergency responders that lost their lives bringing aid and rescuing the injured.
Guest speaker Bill Hayes, and former New York firefighter shared his experience as a Ground Zero first responder.
“I'll never forget [the dispatcher's] exact words were, ‘All companies responding to the World Trade Center, bring everything you got,’ ” said Hayes. “As we got closer to the towers, the lower Manhattan was blacked out.”
Following the fall of the towers, first responders spent days on recovery efforts. Hayes described the slew of abandoned vehicles and piles of debris blocking the roads following the fall of the towers.
“I really relied on the firefighter on my right and the firefighter on my left,” said Hayes. “I spent the initial three days down on the pile. We dug through the day into the night, as long as you could do it, and then you just literally lay down in the street and went to sleep, woke up and did it again.”
Hayes donated a piece of steel recovered from Ground Zero to the fire academy, where first responders in training can honor those who ran first into danger.
The tragic fall of the World Trade Center left a gaping hole in the hearts of American families. We continue to honor the legacy of those we lost so we never forget the victims of the 9/11 attack.