As we reflect this year on the devastating event that occurred on September 11, 2001- the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the heroic actions of those aboard Flight 93, we encourage you to visit the Tiffin Police and Fire All Patriots Memorial to reflect and take part in a special ceremony marking the 24th anniversary of that day.
This Thursday, September 11, at 8:46 a.m.- the exact time the first World Trade Center was hit, community members are invited to join local first responders, veterans, and officials in a time of reflection upon this solemn event that forever changed our country. A wreath laying, a rifle salute, and the playing of taps to honor all those who lost their lives for the protection of our people will take place at this ceremony.
During the ceremony, the American Flag donated by Tiffin native Richard Martin will be placed and flown until sunset as a reminder of the strength our country has had and still has to this day during such a tragic event to our nation.
The All Patriots Memorial, located at Washington and Water streets, near downtown Tiffin, serves as a reminder of the events of September 11, 2001. Featuring a beam from the World Trade Center, the memorial honors the attacks and commemorates the Tiffin’s police and firefighters who died in the line of duty. Local police, firefighters, and community members raised $375,000 to create the memorial, which was dedicated on September 9, 2012.
As you visit the memorial, take time to notice its symbolic features. The 17.5-foot, three-ton beam rests at a 9.11-degree angle atop a pentagon-shaped base, representing the attack on the Pentagon. The beam features an “M-18” inscription, the investigator’s identification number, along with the words “Never Forget” etched across the monument. Names of Tiffin fallen police and firefighters are written as well to remember those who put their lives on the line for our community.
Behind the monument stands a Callery pear tree, a tribute to the Survivor Tree from Ground Zero, reduced from the wreckage and later replanted at the new World Trade Center site. Nearby, a 40-inch-tall post honors the Flight 93 passengers, all 40, each inch representing each passenger and crew member who died in the crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In addition, a nearby grass mound symbolizes the crash site of the plane.
The All Patriots Memorial serves as a place of remembrance, reflection, and education. It keeps the events of September 11, 2001, alive in our community and honors all local police and firefighters who have and continue to protect our community. The monument flies the United States Flag, the National Fallen Police Flag, and the National Fallen Firefighters Flag. The site is regularly used for memorial services during both local and national tragedies.
