September 11, 2010

VACAVILLE - Area residents gathered Saturday at Andrews Park to honor those who died nine years ago in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

'The country was faced with a challenge on that day,' said Michael Hudson, a Suisun City councilmember. 'Our freedoms were challenged, and we as a nation had to come together to prevail.'

Hudson, speaking on behalf of the Solano Republican Party which organized the event, said Sept. 11 should be about celebrating the bravery of the people who died that day.

What people remember on Sept. 11 is more than just the events of what happened, said Casey Nesbit, 64, of Suisun City. The attacks, he said, revealed in the country a strength and unity that hadn't been seen in a long time.

'It showed that America cannot be stopped by something like that,' he said. 'We are going to turn around and rebuild what we had and move forward.'

The terrorist changed the nation, said 64-year-old Jim Lawrenz, of Vacaville.

'It really was the end of an era,' he said. 'What happened on that day changed the direction the country was heading in.'

Lawrenz was at home when he first learned of the attacks, he said. As a former airline pilot, he knew that the planes crashing on the World Trade Center could not be an accident, he said.

'I was just in total shock,' he said. 'All those people on the planes and those on the ground. It was too much.'

For Fairfield resident Edward Hall, Saturday was all about remembering what the country went through on Sept. 11. Hall postponed a trip to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco just to attend the remembrance in Vacaville, he said.

'The United States felt pain. Families were torn apart and hurt,' he said. 'We can never forget what happened.'

By Andres Navarro - DAILY REPUBLIC