Bannock County declares September 11th Patriot’s Day

It was 17 years ago today that one of the most horrific events in American history took place. It’s a day no American, living at the time, will soon forget.

But for a new generation of Americans, not yet born at the time of the attacks, their knowledge of the events will be learned through textbooks and videos. One of the reasons, Patriot’s Day is so important to a new generation.”

“You know from my perspective, it says we as first responders recognized this, but this is really expanding that out to say we as a community recognize the importance of this event,” Pocatello Fire Chief David Gates said. “The impact it’s had on us as a community, as a citizenry and that we must never forget, as citizens, either, the events that occurred.”

And although Gates was nowhere near the east coast when the events occurred, he still feels the somberness.

“I don’t have to be there to feel that cause, I felt it today.”

Mayor Brian Blad also remembers the emotions of that fateful September day.

“The pain, the anguish, the concern I guess it was it was, the concern for people that we didn’t know was very evident.”

But now the day holds new meaning in Bannock County, as September 11th was officially declared Patriot’s Day. A new day of remembrance and reflection which will help make sense of a day that a new generation never knew.

“I think it’s important to have a Patriot’s Day of some sort to make sure that we do remember, that we do know what happened, and what has happened in the past,” Blad said. “That’s what it is, this generation is learning it from a textbook.”

But for those who do remember, there are sights and sounds that will sit with them forever. For Chief Gates, it’s the sound of chirping, signifying a firefighter down.

“To this day, the thought of that sound gives me chills.”

And now, with Patriot’s Day officially declared, the future generations of Bannock County will have a better understanding of the day that shaped every American life in some way.