Idaho Falls Remembers 9/11

The Idaho Falls Fire Department and service departments across the region this evening joined together at City Hall to remember 9/11.

For many in the Fire Department, Sept. 11, 2001, is a day impossible to forget. The loss of so many fallen comrades is still fresh in the minds of many.

“They were fellow firemen,” said firefighter Chet Pugmire. “We’re the guys that, … that you call when there’s nobody else to call and that’s what they were doing.”

Ten years later, Sept. 11 is still a nightmare, but it’s also a lesson for younger generations.

“9/11 to me was our Pearl Harbor,” said father and memorial attendee Mike Cates. “That’s my initial thought. Plus we want [our daughter] to understand what it’s all about.”

It isn’t only 9/11 firefighters who were memorialized tonight. Any responder who has fallen in the line of duty was honored.

It’s a reminder that life is short, and that danger is often part of the job.

“If there are still people in there to save,” said Pugmire. “That’s our job.”