A quarter-century after 9/11, unity lives on

“I remember where I was, I remember what I was doing.”

Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, this sentence is still echoed by Americans old enough to have watched that day unfold.

For Judie Johnsen, who joined other residents, first responders and elected officials gathered around Signal Hills Unity Monument Friday morning, the memory began with a phone call.

“My daughter called me and said, ‘mom, turn on the TV.’ I said,’Why? What’s going on?’ She said, ‘Just turn on the TV.”

Nearly 3,000 people would be killed in the attack, and the images Johnsen saw on television that day would become part of a collective memory shared by millions of Americans.

Pete Sanikian, a resident of Signal Hills, remembers the same sense of disbelief. 

“Everybody reflects on that moment. They know where they were because it was so tragic and shocking,” Sanikian said. “ Nothing is gonna be the same. The world as we know it, it’s not going to be the same.”

With 25 years having now passed since the attack, many Americans have grown up without any memory of that day. As those memories become more distant, Sept. 11 remains embedded in American History through the stories of those who witnessed it. 

On the first anniversary of the attack, artist Patrick Vogel embedded that idea into the city Unity Monument, combining five metals.

Stainless steel, brass, copper, copper-nickel and nickel were brought together to represent the different cultures, races and religious beliefs of a country that found itself united in the aftermath of the tragedy. 

“Those materials are typically never joined together.” Vogel said.

Using a background in mechanical engineering and metal fabrication, Vogel found a way to do exactly that. 

As he describes it, the monument holds as a physical representation of the unity Americans displayed in the days following the attacks, from strangers helping one another escape the World Trade Center to first responders running towards danger. 

“Our firefighters were just… rushing in. No questions asked,” Sanikian said, hoping the younger generation continues to remember.

Three hundred forty-three New York City firefighters died that day, as firefighters, police officers, emergency medical workers and ordinary citizens responded to the attacks.

At Friday’s ceremony, Long Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Kevin Hardy said the sacrifice remains part of what service means to firefighters 25 years later.

“September 11th is a day we will never forget,” Hardy said, “We remember the nearly 3,000 lives that were lost, (they) made the ultimate sacrifice while trying to save others.”