Sept. 11, 2001, is a day that will be etched into all Americans’ lives forever.

During the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, many area organizations held memorial services for the men and women who lost their lives as a result of that horrific morning, when life as we knew it changed because of the hijackings of four commercial passenger jetliners.

At the Josiah White Park in Jim Thorpe, Carbon County officials and employees from all offices, as well as members of the Carbon County United Veterans Organization, gathered Friday morning to remember the victims of 9/11. The day is formally known as Patriot Day.

Christine LeClair, director of the Carbon County Office of Veterans Affairs, welcomed everyone in attendance before opening the ceremony with a prayer.

“We honor those who lost their lives, those who were injured and the families who continue to feel the pain of their absence,” she said. “Please grant them peace and healing.”

LeClair also encouraged all to never forget the events that unfolded that day and the lessons that were learned through the love, compassion and understanding created in the aftermath.

She then introduced Congressman Ryan Mackenzie, state Rep. Doyle Heffley and Carbon County Commissioner Wayne Nothstein, who all made a few remarks.

Both Mackenzie and Heffley spoke about where they were that fateful day, and urged Americans to come together again like they did in the days after to honor those who never made it home to loved ones.

“The slogan that came out of 9/11 was ‘Never Forget,’ ” Heffley said. “Here we are, 25 years later, there are 100 million Americans now that weren’t born yet on 9/11. It’s our duty to share what happened with them, when a handful of terrorists caused so much pain, so much destruction in our nation.”

Nothstein added that several schools were holding ceremonies for children who have only heard about these events from parents or teachers.

He spoke about the effects 9/11 had on the world, not just that day, but every day ever since.

“The health crisis continues today,” he said. “We feel the effects of what happened that day. It grows with the deaths of the responders and victims who contracted various forms of cancer and other health effects from the collapse of the World Trade Center. Those who died were mothers and fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters.”

Keynote speak Joseph Shamonsky, commander of Coaldale American Legion Post 170, then addressed those in attendance.

Shamonsky is a registered nurse with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and retired from the United States Army Reserves as a captain in the Army Nurse Corps, having previously served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

“Everyone has a story of how they remember what happened on 9/11,” he said. “... I remember it well.”

Shamonsky had just come off night shift and was sleeping when his wife woke him to tell him planes had hit the twin towers.

“We as a nation should not forget what the first responders did that day, and also the sacrifices ordinary citizens for helping others that day,” he said. “We need to remember and honor them for what they did. We also need to remember the volunteers that came to go through the rubble, trying to find survivors. ... We should never forget what happened that tragic day. We need to remember and teach our next generation what happened.”

The ceremony concluded with Angela Nardini singing “God Bless America” and members of the United Veterans Organization honor guard performing a gun salute and playing taps.

The crowd that had gathered then dispersed quietly as the American flag, which was flying at half staff, hung silently in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice a quarter-century ago.