Nearly 75 people gathered Thursday at the South Ward Playground to honor the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, and the heroism shown in the aftermath.

The annual memorial, coordinated by Tamaqua resident Shelly Troxell, has been held every year since the terrorist attacks.

Troxell’s late mother, Jackie Jones, began the tradition, which Troxell has continued with help from her sister and brother-in-law, Michele and Lee Calkins.

About 20 members of the South Ward Fire Company attended, bringing several pieces of apparatus. Firefighter Joe Rother displayed a piece of marble from the World Trade Center site, gifted to him by a New York City firefighter.

Rodney Clouser, an annual soloist at the event, relinquished his spot singing one of the songs and instead asked each of the firefighters to introduce themselves and state how many years they’ve been volunteering.

He told the gathering about even the day after the World Trade Center towers collapsed, and for some time after that, the firefighters, police and other emergency personnel performed the dangerous task of making rescues and combing through the rubble.

He said that while footage of the towers collapsing was shown, everyone who could was running from the site while firefighters, police office and medical personnel were running toward the danger.

Schuylkill County Commissioner Gary J. Hess, also a speaker, said of the firefighters and other emergency personnel, “They always put others before themselves.”

Hess urged that 9/11 remembrance services continue, saying, “We need to remember to tell the story of that day when our freedom was tested.”

Jack Kulp of the Tamaqua American Legion Post said, “I fear Sept. 11 is fading in our memories, now relegated to a single paragraph in newspaper stories and occasional references on television.”

“Although bin Laden is history, the enemies who hatched the Sept. 11 plot hope to spawn more terror,” he said. “They are counting on our complacency, convinced we are a nation of selfish materialists. They don’t think we have resolve.”

“They’re wrong,” he said.

Andrew Hamilton, vice chairman of the 9/11 Memorial Trail Board was the featured speaker.

He said the “Sept. 11th National Memorial Trail is a 1,500-mile-long trail route that connects the national memorials together.”

Of this, 903 miles of the trail cross Pennsylvania from the southwest to the northeast.

“The trail connects people to the memorials and to other places of national resilience in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia,” he said. Over 50 percent of the trail is off-road.

Hamilton said, “Here in Carbon and Schuylkill Counties, we are in the process of completing a plan to connect Pottsville and the Schuylkill River Greenway to Jim Thorpe and the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. This will connect the communities of Jim Thorpe, Summit Hill, Nesquehoning, Lansford, Coaldale, Tamaqua, Tuscarora, Brockton, Middleport, New Philadelphia, Cumbola, Port Carbon, Palo Alto and Pottsville together, and on a larger scale, the trail will connect these communities to the national memorials in Arlington Virginia, New York City and Shanksville Pennsylvania.”

The local portion of the trail will be known as the “Anthracite Connector of the September 11th National Memorial Trial and will connect to the Number 9 coal mine and museum.”

Skye Boyer sang the national anthem and led the audience in the singing of the popular Lee Greenwood song, “Proud to be An American.”

Remarks were also given by Pastor Sharon Stokes of Stoke Ministry & Lady’s Pantry, recalled how after the 9/11 attacks “America came together; we helped one another.”

“Right now, the United States feels a little divided,” she said. “We don’t have to be.”

She said, “We can stand up, show up and speak up for everyone who cannot. We are stronger together, for sure.”

“The Fireman’s Prayer” was recited by Lieutenant George Haldeman of the South Ward Fire Company.

Pastor Bob Tomes of New Life Assembly gave the invocation and benediction.