The Richard Nixon Foundation marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks with a weeklong tribute at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, featuring twin beams of light rising into the night sky above the Library and culminating in a commemoration ceremony on Friday, September 11.
Visible nightly throughout the week, the twin beams honored the 2,977 lives lost in the attacks. A display of 2,977 American flags planted in front of the Library provided another powerful tribute, with one flag representing each life lost.
The September 11 commemoration drew a standing-room-only crowd, many dressed in red, white and blue, for a program of remembrance and reflection. The event featured remarks from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the Orange County Fire Authority and Tom Frost, father of Flight 175 passenger Lisa Anne Frost. The event also included a performance by the Orange County Fire Authority Pipes and Drums, a formal Presentation of the Colors by the Blue Eagles Honor Guard, and musical performances by the Villa Park High School Band, the Orange High School Chamber Singers and the OC Master Chorale.
Undersheriff Jeff Hallock, representing the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, reflected on the importance of preserving the past and how that commitment continues to shape the future. He spoke of the cowardice behind the September 11 attacks and the American grit and courage that answered it.
OCFA Interim Chief TJ McGovern told the crowd, “We gather to remember, reflect and renew our unity,” before sharing the stories of FDNY Chaplain Father Mychal Judge and the “Miracle of Stairwell B.” Both accounts, he said, carried a common message: slow down and help those in need, even when the world is telling you to hurry. He closed with a call to live and work in service to others and to carry that legacy forward.
Twenty-five years have not diminished the loss for keynote speaker Tom Frost. His 22-year-old daughter, Lisa, was flying home to Orange County from Boston aboard United Flight 175 on September 11, 2001, when the aircraft was hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center. Holding back tears, Frost shared his daughter’s story and spoke of his continued commitment to keeping her memory alive.
The program concluded with the OCFA Honor Guard performing the Final Alarm, a bell-ringing tradition that honors fallen firefighters and marks the end of their earthly service. Rooted in the fire service’s history of telegraph signals once used to alert stations to emergencies and signal the end of a call, the bell was struck in a sequence of three rings, repeated three times. The tradition signifies that a fallen comrade has completed their final duty and returned home.
Following the Final Alarm, the entire crowd rose to its feet for a stirring rendition of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” bringing the remembrance ceremony to a solemn yet uplifting close.
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