Boundary County remembers 9/11 23 years later

BONNERS FERRY — On Wednesday, Sept. 11, Boundary County residents gathered to remember and honor those that died in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

 "It's been 23 years since the horrific attacks in New York City, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon,” Boundary County Chaplain Len Pine said. “Many of us will never forget that day, or what it meant to our nation. But many do forget, and many now live who were not yet born then, and so have no personal recollection or context in which to put what they may have heard. It is important to remind ourselves of the import of that day, a day that changed all of our lives ever after, and to honor those that died, many sacrificially, in their efforts to preserve the lives of others.”

Earlier that morning, Paradise Valley volunteer firefighter Tom Chaney, paid tribute to the New York firefighters by climbing the steps from Memorial Park to Highway 95 110 times, symbolizing their heroic journey to save others. 

Chaney said the climb was emotional as when reached the peak of the stair to go back down he kept looking up to the American flag waving above the Boundary County Veteran Memorial. 

A full photo gallery of the commemoration is available on our website.

    (center) Matt Solt stands with firefighters and first responders during the 9/11 Commemoration on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at the Boundary County Fairgrounds.