9/11, 7:46 AM: A Solemn Recognition of 20 Years
Bates County Memorial Hospital hosted a flag-lowering ceremony on Saturday, September 11, recognizing the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The brief ceremony, organized by the BCMH Ambulance department, began with silence – accompanied by a flyover by LifeFlight Eagle at 7:46 a.m. as the flag was lowered, performed by Retired Sergeant Carl Gregory (Army, Missouri National Guard). Gregory is a radiologic technologist for BCMH Imaging Services.
First responders from local departments took part in a reading of the devastating events of that day.
In a short message by Greg Weaver, CEO of the hospital, he reminded those in attendance, “For nine months afterwards, they were still searching Ground Zero for bodies … Even to this day, there were some that were not found. It is very heart wrenching … The survivors and the families that pushed forward, and even today those who are still seeking medical treatment for the after effects of either what they breathed in, or injuries sustained, that are living witnesses of the horror of that day, who still suffer along with their families – that’s what we are to remember. To push forward and to realize the world remains irrevocably changed on that day.”
Barb Weaver, wife of Greg Weaver and a hospital Auxiliary volunteer, sang “My Country Tis of Thee” to conclude the ceremony.
BCMH thanks all who participated and attended the event.
