A day of reverence: Rotary holds 9/11 remembrance ceremony in Monroeville

Most Americans can remember exactly where they were on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Although the weeks and months following the terrorist attacks in the U.S. were filled with fear and deep sadness, it was also a time when the country came together as one, setting aside differences.

To mark the 24th anniversary of 9/11, the Turtle Creek Valley Rotary Club hosted a special program on Sept. 12 at Papa Rocks Pizza in Haymaker Village in Monroeville.

Titled “The History of 9/11,” the ceremony began with Rotary President Mike Wargo playing the trumpet for the National Anthem, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence.

Wargo provided a detailed historical overview of the events leading up to 9/11 and their lasting effect on the world.

“Too often, history fades with time,” Wargo said. “This event is about keeping those lessons alive, and if it grows, we’d love to see it become a regular tradition in our club beyond my presidency.

“For those of us who lived through that day, the memories remain vivid and unforgettable. For younger generations, however, the events of 9/11 are something they only learn about through school lessons or stories shared by family.”

Turtle Creek Mayor Adam Forgie shared his personal reflections. In September of 2001, Forgie was a history teacher at Woodland Hills East Junior High School. The 9/11 attacks occurred on his second day of teaching eighth grade.

“I had planned to share stories about my own time as a student at Woodland Hills,” Forgie said, “but instead, history came alive that day in the most heartbreaking way possible.”

The mayor said that watching the towers fall on television in the school library filled him with disbelief and a deep sense of loss.

“That moment changed me,” Forgie said. “Not long after, I felt called to serve my country in a new way.”

He joined the U.S. Army Reserves, inspired by his father, who served as a Marine in Vietnam, and both of his grandfathers, who served during World War II.

“I felt like it was my turn to defend the flag and the freedoms it represents,” he said.

Other attendees also voiced their feelings about the remembrance ceremony.

Monroeville resident and Rotarian technology chair Gary DeLorenzo said it’s important to keep the memory of that fateful day alive so young people can absorb what happened.

“What I like about this event is that it’s a day of remembrance,” DeLorenzo said. “For the younger generations, it’s a way to remember, just as we remember what happened at Pearl Harbor.”

Ron Lucas has been with the Turtle Creek Valley Rotary for five years. He is the golf coach at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School and the coordinator for American Veteran golf programs in the Pittsburgh area. He has visited the site near Shanksville, where United Flight 93 went down, several times over the years.

“This is a very special day,” Lucas said. “I coach kids 14 to 18 years old. They weren’t even born when 9/11 occurred.”

Following the indoor program, guests gathered outside for a ceremonial tribute that included a 21-gun salute and flag folding by the Plum’s American Legion Post 980 honor guard.

The event concluded with a musical arrangement, including “God Bless America.”

“This is a subject that is deeply sensitive, but also deeply necessary,” Wargo said. “It’s been 24 years since 9/11, and we now have a younger generation that doesn’t fully understand what happened or how it changed our world. Rotary is a service organization, and by holding this program, we can share these lessons and memories with our community so that history is never forgotten.”