During a solemn ceremony Saturday, Gov. Eric. Holcomb thanked all the first responders and the armed forces who served on and after the day of Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, including Indiana’s Task Force One, a group of first responders who spent eight days at Ground Zero following the attacks.
“We should use this as a reminder for ourselves to rededicate what we stand for, what we strive for,” he said. “To live lives worthy of their ultimate act of devotion, knowing that we will always remember and we will never forget.”
The Indiana 9/11 memorial was rededicated Saturday on the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, including nine Hoosiers. The memorial, made of steel from the World Trade Center, was first dedicated on Sept. 11, 2011.
Former Vice President Mike Pence also spoke at the ceremony, along with retired Air Force Brigadier General J. Stewart Goodwin, who is the executive director of Indiana War Memorials, and Teri Maude, who is the widow of Indiana-native Lt. General Timothy Maude. Her husband was the highest ranking officer killed on 9/11 and the highest ranking officer to be killed from hostile actions since World War II. A stone memorial for Lt. General Maude was also unveiled.
The former vice president said he would not comment on the happenings of the past month, referencing the pull-out from Afghanistan, but wanted to affirm those who served after the attacks of Sept. 11.
“Let me say to all of the veterans who are gathered here and the families of all who have served, nothing will ever diminish what the armed forces of the United States accomplished in Afghanistan,” Pence said. “They kept America safe and they have all earned a place of honor in the annals of American history.”
Teri Maude spoke about her husband, an officer who worked in military personnel, as someone who cared for soldiers and their families. He created modern branding for the Army and was the first to use the internet to recruit, she said.
With the attacks now 20 years in the past, she urged those in the crowd to tell younger generations their story of 9/11.
“Your story makes the difference,” Maude said. “Tell your story to this generation and future generations so that they will remember the day and never forget.”
Task Force One members and brothers Russ Shoaf and William Shoaf were at the ceremony looking on from the back of the crowd. They don’t talk about their eight days at Ground Zero much, but said it was important for them to be at the ceremony.
“It’s still a part of us, it’s still very active in us,” Russ Shoaf said. “The emotions are still there, the memories and the smells and those days that we were at Ground Zero are very much still alive and very much still a part of us.”
William Shoaf’s daughter, Meaghan Shafer, was a high schooler on Sept. 11, 2001. She recalled wanting to leave school when she heard where her father was going, but Shoaf wouldn’t let her.
Like 41% of Task Force One, Shafer’s dad had medical complications from being at Ground Zero.
Four members of Task Force One have died from these complications.
The attack has left a lasting effect on many.
“I was a wreck,” Shafer said. “I still am.”
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