Local officials and residents shared memories Saturday at “20 Years: Remembering 9/11” at the First United Methodist Church, West Broad Street, Tamaqua.

“We will never forget the brave men and women who lost their lives that day. From that day, we will never forget the men and women sent to fight in a foreign land. We salute the ones who came home, and mourn the ones who did not make it back,” said Pastor Sharon Stokes of Stokes Ministry.

State Sen. David Argall said a classmate, Jon Vandevander, died at the World Trade Center.

“When my wife and I went to see that beautiful memorial in New York City,” he recalled, “there were thousands of names inscribed on the monument. I saw Jon’s name within 10 seconds of arriving there.”

State Rep. Jerry Knowles reflected on other events that affected our nation, such as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963. As he remembered praying at church, he said, “There were no such things as Republicans, Democrats, conservatives or liberals. We were all Americans.” Knowles said the same thing happened after Sept. 11.

Knowles also shared a story about the District of Columbia’s Air National Guard that was training on that day.

“There was a young woman and a young man who were pilots; and they were dispatched to get into the air and to do what they could do to make sure that Flight 93 never made it to Washington. They had serious concerns that their responsibility was to take down that plane if they had to. What makes it even more challenging in terms of bravery, those two F-16s were not armed. They knew when they were dispatched that, if they had to take that plane down, it would be a suicide mission. That’s just a great example of the people that are serving our country and their bravery.”

Enrique Castro Jr., president of Reading Pride, related how difficult it was to plan for this service.

“As I was trying to write what I would say to you today, I couldn’t stop crying. And when my 8-year-old, who had just learned in school about Sept. 11, asked me, ‘Daddy, why did that happen?’ And I didn’t know what to say to him.”

Castro, who grew up in New York City, shared how he was on the roof of his apartment, smoking a cigarette, when he saw the first plane hit the tower.

“I remember looking in shock; then, when the second plane it, crying immediately.”

His family went to the Salvation Army to help.

“We saw so many things that no one should ever see no matter what age you are.

“I remember a female police officer who didn’t even remember the last time she slept. She was just digging, and she came over to the table where I was serving coffee and doughnuts, and it was probably about 2 in the morning, and she just looked so tired and was covered in dirt.”

She asked him to pray with her and they continued every night at 2 a.m. The group grew.

“That was one of my fondest memories from ground zero,” he said.

James Connely, fire chief of the American Hose Company, shared the story of Father Michael Judge, who had served as the chaplain of the New York Fire Department, who was killed at ground zero. He was the first victim to be identified, and he was listed as victim number 0001.

The Knights Templar, 39 Prince of Peace Commandery, Knights Templar of Ashland, posted the colors, the American flag. Thirteen candles were lit in memory of the 13 U.S. service members who died in Afghanistan on Aug. 26.

The evening included music by Fortin Academy of Music members David Fortin, Marjorie Gonzalez Fortin and Tanya Erdman, singing the national anthem and a patriotic medley of music. Diane Johnson from First United Methodist Church sang “Amazing Grace,”= with Bobbie Coccio on piano.

Debbie Forney, Pastor of First United Methodist Church, offered the benediction.