Oskaloosa to Mark 25th Anniversary of 9/11 With Community Ceremony

The flag that flew over Ground Zero by Musco is shown here flying over the square in Oskaloosa on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa – Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks changed the nation, Oskaloosa residents will come together to remember the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives and to honor the first responders who ran toward danger.

The Oskaloosa Fire Department will host a 9/11 25th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony on Friday, Sept. 11, beginning at 9 a.m. at the Oskaloosa City Square.

Oskaloosa Fire Chief Scott Vaughan said he started planning the ceremony about 10 months ago. The event will bring together first responders, community leaders, students, and residents for a ceremony expected to last 30 to 45 minutes.

For Vaughan, Sept. 11 carries special meaning because he was already serving as a firefighter when the attacks occurred.

Vaughan was a firefighter in Fairfield in 2001. Like many Americans, he remembers exactly where he was as the events unfolded.

“I remember exactly where I was at. I remember what I was doing, and then I remember basically glued to a TV for the rest of the day, just waiting for updates and watching the whole thing unfold,” Vaughan said.

At first, Vaughan said people were trying to figure out how a plane could have hit the World Trade Center. Then the second plane hit the South Tower.

“We knew at that point. Okay, we’re under attack,” Vaughan said.

News of the attack on the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93 followed.

“It was just kind of disbelief,” Vaughan said.

A Quarter Century Later

One reason Vaughan wanted to organize the ceremony was his concern that the memory of Sept. 11 was beginning to fade with the years.

“I think it already has,” Vaughan said. “Now, it’s just one day a year when we think about this, and that’s really sad. We should be thinking about it much more often.”

A generation of Americans has now grown up without a personal memory of the attacks. Vaughan said researching the events while preparing the ceremony also taught him things he had not previously known.

The anniversary ceremony is meant to give the community a chance to remember those who died and to recognize the courage shown by first responders and others who helped after the attacks.

25th Anniversary Ceremony flyer (image provided)

Nearly 3,000 Flags Planned

The east side of the Oskaloosa City Square will feature one of the ceremony’s largest visual tributes to those lost.

Members of the Oskaloosa High School Student Council plan to place roughly 3,000 American flags in the ground, with each flag representing a person who died in the Sept. 11 attacks.

The students conducted a similar display five years ago.

Because of the flags, the east side of the square near the Mahaska County Courthouse will be closed to spectators. People attending the ceremony will gather mainly on the west side of the square.

Vaughan encouraged residents to bring lawn chairs.

First responders from across the area are expected to attend, including people from the Oskaloosa Fire Department, law enforcement, the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office, ambulance services, Mahaska County Conservation, and nearby fire departments.

Oskaloosa Mayor Dave Krutzfeldt is scheduled to offer welcoming remarks, followed by the national anthem.

Iowa Sen. Adrian Dickey, who is also a volunteer firefighter, is scheduled to speak during the ceremony.

Diane Crookham-Johnson from Musco Lighting will also discuss the Oskaloosa company’s work at Ground Zero following the attacks.

Oskaloosa Company Played Role at Ground Zero

Musco Lighting has a direct connection to the recovery effort in New York City.

Vaughan said that working with Musco while planning the ceremony helped him better understand how the Oskaloosa company responded after the World Trade Center towers fell.

According to Vaughan, Musco employees did not wait for someone to ask for assistance.

“It was just their people knowing what had happened and saying, ‘Hey, I gotta go,’” Vaughan said.

Musco crews traveled to New York and provided lighting that allowed recovery crews to continue working through the wreckage at Ground Zero.

Vaughan said Musco stayed involved for a long time as crews worked at the site.

At the Sept. 11 ceremony in Oskaloosa, Musco plans to display an American flag that once flew at Ground Zero. The flag will hang from one of the company’s mobile lighting trucks.

The Oskaloosa Fire Department also plans to display a large American flag from its aerial truck.

Along with the usual flags around the square and those placed by Oskaloosa students, Vaughan said there will be plenty of American flags at the ceremony.

Why Sept. 11 Remains Personal for Firefighters

Among the most lasting images from Sept. 11 are firefighters climbing stairways inside the World Trade Center as thousands of people were trying to escape.

For Vaughan, those images show something all firefighters understand about their work.

“It’s just a profession that we’ve taken on that we will basically run into places that most people are running out of without a second thought,” Vaughan said.

Firefighters spend their careers training for moments when people are in danger. Vaughan said that when an emergency call comes, their training takes over.

“You don’t have time to have that mentality in your mind. You’re just, you know, you’re doing what you’ve trained to do,” Vaughan said.

Hundreds of firefighters and other first responders lost their lives during the attacks.

Vaughan said it is still hard to watch those events unfold, even 25 years later.

“When you saw some of the images that you saw, it was just surreal,” Vaughan said. “It’s something I hope I never see again.”

Ceremony to End With Bell, Bagpipes

Vaughan will also speak during the ceremony.

The program will end with a traditional bell ceremony and “Amazing Grace” played on bagpipes.

The ceremony is not meant to be long. Vaughan said the goal is to give people time to remember, reflect, and recognize the sacrifices made on Sept. 11, 2001.

“We’re planning for a ceremony that lasts about half an hour to 45 minutes, just to show our remembrance and, in our own way, let everyone know it has not been forgotten,” Vaughan said.

The 9/11 25th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 11, at the Oskaloosa City Square. Those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.