Children are warmly welcomed by Mesquite firefighters including Jason Blakely, right, to a September 11 commemoration ceremony held at City Hall. Photo by Barbara Ellestad.

Children are warmly welcomed by Mesquite firefighters including Jason Blakely, right, to a September 11 commemoration ceremony held at City Hall. Photo by Barbara Ellestad.

Even after 15 years, it’s not too hard for Mesquite citizens to commemorate one of the worst days in American history as more than 100 of them attended the Mesquite Exchange Club’s ceremony in front of City Hall Sunday night.

Beginning the evening’s event were Ian McOmie, the newest member of the Mesquite Police Department and Travis Leavitt, the newest member of the Mesquite Fire Department, who led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Continuing the tradition of honoring first responders, Mesquite Fire Department Chief Kash Christopher and Sergeant Chris Rowley from the Mesquite Police Department laid a wreath in memory of those who lost their lives in New York City, the Pentagon, and Pennsylvania.

Chief Christopher told the Mesquite Local News before the ceremony that “it’s not just one day for me. It’s every day that I think about it.

Christopher wears many different hearts on his sleeve when it comes to commemorating 9-11as a retired Air Force firefighter who served in Korea and later served in Afghanistan as a civilian employee firefighter on U.S. military bases “as a result of the actions on 9-11.”

A local child too young to remember the tragedy is greeted by Karen Hughes, left, a Mesquite firefighter at the city’s September 11 commemoration ceremony. Photo by Barbara Ellestad.

A local child too young to remember the tragedy is greeted by Karen Hughes, left, a Mesquite firefighter at the city’s September 11 commemoration ceremony. Photo by Barbara Ellestad.

The keynote speaker, Frank Adams, related his 43 years of law enforcement activities at the local, state, and federal levels including as a Board of Director member for the Nevada Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Commission and the Southern Nevada Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation. He recently published a book that documents all of the Nevada Peace Officers who have died in the line of duty.

Providing the music for the ceremony were Dennis Hangey on the bagpipes, Janet McDonald who sang the national anthem and trumpeter Isaac Talahytewa who played Taps to end the ceremony.

For a slideshow presentation of the ceremony, click on this link https://youtu.be/u2lSV5IpXds