The mood was somber as Teller County residents, officials and first responders gathered in Lions Park in Woodland Park the morning of Sept. 11.

“This park is specifically designed around the events of that day when 19 al-Qaida hijackers attacked the United States with four airplanes,” said Dan Williams, master of ceremonies, Teller County commissioner and Commander of American Legion Post 1980. “The Pikes Peak granite stones are for the Twin Towers that no longer exist.”

The towers, on a field of grass, are within a five-sided border to symbolize the Pentagon where the fourth plane crashed.

“That’s why we are here, in Lions Park,” Williams said.

Twenty-five years after the attack on America, everything that morning took on new meaning, in a time of heightened danger across the country and another war in the Middle East.

“We’re in the seventh month of a war today where 50,000 of our men and women are deployed,” Williams said. “Are we safer and have we done everything we can for our young adults?”

Williams addressed the students, the high school’s Madrigal Singers who sang the national anthem.   

“My goal for you is that this never happens to you,” he said. “Of the 330 million people in this county, more than one-third are 25 or younger.”

Williams paid tribute to Cripple Creek resident Sam Ramsbottom who returned home after being wounded in Operation Epic Fury. In August, the county honored Sgt. Ben Pennington with a plaque on the memorial wall in Mt. Pisgah Cemetery in Cripple Creek. Pennington was the seventh U.S. soldier killed in the war in Iran and was stationed at Fort Carson. 

“As of yesterday, more than 30,177 of our military died by suicide,” said Williams, who served in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. “We all came back home with PTSD, whether we admit it or not.”

Williams praised the work of Cindy Meyer, Teller County’s Veterans Service Officer, who helps more than 600 veterans a month find the resources they need.

Sheriff Jason Mikesell spoke of the brotherhood of first responders, firefighters, citizens, the military and law enforcement who responded to the chaos of that day.  

“We don’t always understand until we’re in that moment what that can mean and how that feels,” Mikesell said. “9/11 happened to all of us and we have to be steadfast and know that we are the ones who stand for our community and how we operate. We have to be together for that.”

Commander Kevin Tedesco reflected on the heroism that occurred that day. 

“I think of the first responders in New York who ran toward the devastation when the instinct told them to run away,” he said.

Tedesco served in the infantry in the U.S. Army in 2003 in Iraq.

“In Iraq, I learned about unity, strength, collaboration and what it took to bring our country together,” he said. “I served with men and women of different backgrounds, different religions, different cultures, different states, but we all came together for the same purpose.”

Tedesco, too, spoke of the children.

“Remember it is up to us to share responsibility to keep our youth strong, to understand who we are and why it happened,” he said.

Tedesco concluded with a request.

“I ask that we continue how we felt today, and how we felt on Sept. 12, 2001 and that we keep in our hearts and in our minds a way to find strength and unity,” he said.

The speakers included George Jones and Annie Durham, mayors of Woodland Park and Cripple Creek, respectively; Carl Andersen, candidate for county commissioner; and Mike Wilson, commander of the VFW Post 6051. Teller County commissioner Erik Stone sang The Star-Spangled Banner.