WE GATHERED THURSDAY MORNING at the Faribault Fire Hall as the sun beamed bright upon the crowd, as those in uniform stood in reverent respect, as engines idled, as the bell rang, as the American flag was raised and lowered, as heads bowed in prayer.
A short ceremony here marked the 24th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America, an act of violence that initially claimed 2,977 lives. And many others in the years thereafter.
At 7:46 a.m., when the first plane, Flight 11, hit the first World Trade Center, the ceremony in Faribault began. I mostly wandered, watched, framed photos, struggled to hear speakers. But mostly, I heard the silence, felt the heaviness upon hearts, remembered.
On that morning in 2001, I was caring for my 7-year-old son, who wasn’t feeling well, and his friend. I knew nothing of the attack until my husband called from work to inform me. As I scanned the crowd 24 years later, I wondered where all of them were when the unthinkable happened. Some were not yet born. Others, like Faribault’s communications director, was sitting in his seventh grade science class when he got the news. Many of us were just going about our normal day.
When I reflect on that day, I recall how profoundly different the world felt afterwards. The absence of airplanes in the sky following the attacks in New York City and at the Pentagon and then the crash of the fourth plane over a field in Pennsylvania was noticeable. I remember worrying, wondering if the Mall of America in Minnesota would be attacked in a symbolic act of terrorism. Everything felt different. Surreal. Scary.
I remember my son and his friend building two towers from blocks and then crashing toy airplanes into them, sending the blocks toppling into a pile. Child’s play as I watched endless media coverage, unable to turn off the TV.
Time passes. Days, months, years, decades. And here I was, 24 years later, standing outside my local fire hall. Standing with firefighters, law enforcement, EMTs, an insurance agent, the former mayor, city employees, local media, a child, a veteran, an older woman and her dog…ordinary people remembering those lost on that tragic day in American history, 9/11.
TELL ME: What are your memories from September 11, 2001? How did you feel and how do you feel now?
© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Lest we forget
Exactly.
I was getting ready for cosmetology school that morning. It’s funny how sometimes I can’t remember what I ate for lunch but just a picture takes me right back to that moment in time. It really was surreal! I really miss the world we had on 9/12/01. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for sharing where you were on 9/11.
that’s beautiful, what a touching way for your community to remember this awful day in our history.
I watched the New York ceremony this morning, where they read the names aloud and marched for those lost and for the heroes on that day.
when I taught, each year, the entire school would gather around our flag at half mast and have a moment of silence for those who were lost on this day, with our hands over our hearts. we had a mother who moved home to michigan from New York to be with her family after her husband was killed on 9/11 while she was pregnant with their son. she enrolled in our school and raised her son here never having met his father.
when 9/11 happened I was teaching and on the playground and our head came out to tell us what they knew, that a plane had hit one of the towers, then another, and they didn’t know why yet. we could not react or tell the children. all parents were notified and we went on lockdown. they could come to get their children or leave them at school until the end of the day. as the day went on the adults learned what happened and it was one of the hardest days of my life. we just sat and read and had snack and tried to have as normal a day as possible with the children who stayed. the next day most came back and we could not discuss it unless they did, as we didn’t yet know what families had shared with them. over time, we found appropriate ways to process and help them with what they knew and we made cards and bracelets for a school of children in New York. my brother and his family were there and he saw the first plane and ran home to his family. my daughter and son in law were in d.c. and went on the street and saw the national guard not knowing what had happened at first. I will never forget a moment of that day and will always feel for everyone impacted in any way.
Wow, Beth, that’s a whole lot of personal connections to 9/11. I appreciate you sharing this with me and my readers. Thank you for all you did back then to help your students and those students in New York. I am not surprised by any of this. Your heart overflows with love and compassion. Always.
it really holds so many emotional memories for me and I love that people have not forgotten it.
I read emotions in all the stories readers have shared here. Thank you again for your 9/11 stories.
A touching way to remember.
That it was.
This is a very meaningful ceremony, that I know Faribault is quite capable of doing. Thank you for your report. I was working in a 3M office, a year from being laid off. Youngest daughter was teaching 6th gr. in a Woodbury school. Oldest from Denver were to have a mtg in the Trade Center, moved to Chicago very last minute causing, at the time, the worst thought, airline tickets change, but slightly cheaper. The Chicago airport went in lock down. She rented a car, drove to MN, spent a few days, then drove to Denver. We counted our blessings. Still are. (and I’m sorry to read about your eye issues again)
Thank you, Sandra, for sharing this story from 9/11. I can only imagine the fear of wondering whether your daughter was safe.
As for my eye issue, it has been ongoing since my 2024 failed eye surgery. Note that in 10-20 percent of cases, the surgery does not work. I fell in that percentage.
A nice tribute.
I was teaching that day, and we turned on the TV. At first, we thought it was a movie on the news, but then reality set in. Sometime later, the principal asked all teachers to turn off the TV. There was a lot of confusion about what was happening. Many parents came to school to pick up their children. We were all so frightened. In the next few days with no air traffic, it was eerily quiet with the absence of sound.
Sue, thank you for sharing your personal memories of 9/11. The stories being shared by readers like you are not only interesting, but emotional.
Thank you for sharing how your community remembers this tragic event, Audrey.
I was getting ready for work and walked by the tv and saw a plane fly behind one of the towers, but didn’t see it go by on the other side. Puzzled, I kept on getting ready, thinking I must have missed it. Shortly after that, I heard Katie Couric telling the horror of what was happening. Every year when memories are shared around the country, I still feel the shock and surprise of what happened. It’s hard to believe its been 24 years.
Time passes. I appreciate your sharing your 9/11 memory of how and when you heard the news.
It was a somber observance for sure — we all will always remember what we were doing and where we were when the horrific events happened. I am appreciative of events like this that honor those who died and all whose lives were forever changed. We’ve had a few events in our lifetimes like that, haven’ t we? It is hard to believe this was 24 years already.
Yes, it’s always good to honor and remember at public events.