Modern history makes its way to Ammon Idaho
AMMON, Idaho (KIFI) - After a long process, a piece from a steel beam from the World Trade Center has made its way to Ammon, Idaho. The piece of steel has now made the Ammon Branch of the Bonneville Fire District, the second department in Bonneville County, to have a piece of steel from the Twin Towers.
Jon Molbert, a Fire Captain in the Ammon department, says the piece got here thanks to a partnership with Quelltech and Heroes of defense.
"Fortunately, Qualtech and heroes defense actually helped us with that process and was able to expedite it to make sure that we got that piece," Molbert said.
For Molbert and many of the different Firefighters at the Ammon department, seeing the metal piece for the first time was a really emotional moment.
"It's something that is important to you and it's ingrained in us. And it's hard to explain how we first felt, or at least myself personally," Molbert said. "But it was is pretty emotional, we'll say that."
He says seeing the piece allowed for every different member on duty that day allowed for a lot of team bonding.
"A lot of our people got pretty emotional when they first saw it or they weren't really sure how to react and we do have a fair amount of people that maybe weren't around when it happened or they were very, very young and they didn't realize or don't remember it happening to and so it was it was a really nice department bonding thing that we could kind of reflect on that and tell our stories and our memories and then just kind of relay them to the younger generations that we have coming in the fire service."
The beam is now planned to be a part of future 9/11 memorial.
"The big thing, I believe, is the exposure by creating the memorial and having something in the public and something they can see every day. When people drive by, they they look at it and it just pops in their head Everyone has gotten in the habit of everyday life, which is normal, but it's not the importance. And the value of that day is is kind of diminishing And so we just want to make sure that we don't forget that. And we continue to carry on that. The memories of what it was."
The beam during the events of that fateful day got so how that it is now bent. During the collapse of the towers, the beam got punctured by another beam creating the hole now visible.
Idaho Falls Fire Department has a piece as well. Molbert says, with the future memorial the Idaho Falls department will build, and the one Ammon will build can be for everyone in the area.
"So really the goal for us at least, is to have something on the west side and something on the east side. So no matter where you're at in the city or the surrounding areas, you have access to that you can see it."
No plans are in the works for the memorials as of yet, but Molbert says if they can have something ready to go by their 9/11 memorial service, "That would be great. That'd be ideal."
Currently there is a memorial outside of the fire station for the Madison Fire district in Rexburg off Center street accessible to the public.
