A Davie HS memorial for 9/11 takes center stage as US set to mark 21 years since attack
FORT LAUDERDALE - Sunday will mark the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that brought down the two World Trade Center towers in New York City, an event that sent shockwaves through the nation and the world.
At Western High School in Davie, a memorial has been erected on campus as a year-round memorial to mark that tragic day and serve as a constant reminder of the devastating loss that resulted.
The school held a ceremony Friday to reflect and mourn the loss.
On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 members affiliated with al Qaeda hijacked four U.S. airplanes headed from the East Coast to the West Coast, diverting them back to Manhattan and crashing into the Twin Towers. A third plane struck the U.S. Pentagon in Virginia and a fourth plane crashed into a barren field in Pennsylvania as passengers tried to regain control of the aircraft.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed during the terrorist attacks, which triggered an outpouring of memorial and grief around the country.
Students currently enrolled at the school were not even born when the terror attack unfolded live on national and international television in front of a stunned global audience.
"My parents told me about it, and they still remember the day, their classroom, everywhere they were at the exact time," said student Matthew Parrish.
The events and stories from that day have now become an important history lesson that's been passed down.
"It's really important that we know that it was truly a tragedy that connects all of us together," student Megan Olivero said. "Even though we were not there that day."
The permanent memorial at the school, built 21 years ago by students, has visual representations for the Twin Towers in New York City, the U.S. Pentagon and the site in Shanksville, Pa., where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into the ground after passengers on board tried to take back control of the doomed airliner from the hijackers.
On Sept. 11th or a day close to it, the Broward County school holds a ceremony of remembrance.
"We find that every year it brings out something better in all of us," Principal Jimmy Arrojo said. "So, it's a very important event, and of course we want to highlight who created this and designed this 21 years ago."