Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
The Del Rio Port of Entry was closed for just over an hour early Saturday as members of federal, state and local law enforcement and first responder agencies gathered there to mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Del Rio Port Director Liliana Flores invited members of the law enforcement agencies and the city and county fire department and Val Verde Regional Medical Center’s ambulance service to park a vehicle representing their agency in a line just south of the port’s inbound lanes. The vehicles, their red and blue emergency lights flashing in the twilight, provided a sobering backdrop for the ceremony.
After the posting of the colors by the Customs and Border Protection Honor Guard and the singing of the National Anthem by Pete Macias, assistant port director at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry, the event’s mistress of ceremonies welcomed the agencies attending, as well as local dignitaries, which included Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez, Del Rio Mayor Bruno “Ralphy” Lozano, Acting Del Rio City Manager John Sheedy and representatives of the consulates of Mexico and Guatemala.
“Here in the small town of Del Rio, we stand side-by-side, as firefighters, police officers, EMTs and civilians, to pay respect to those heroes who ran into the burning Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania countryside, to assist in any way they could. Many sacrificed their own lives as they tried to save the lives of others,” the MC told those gathered.
As the sun cleared the horizon, members of the Customs and Border Protection Honor Guard folded
a U.S. flag and placed it on a stand set up on a draped table, where later members of law enforcement agencies, fire departments and the ambulance service laid white roses of remembrance.
As the flag was folded, Customs and Border Protection Officer Jose Regalado played “Taps” on the trumpet, bringing an even more solemn air to the proceedings.
The ceremony also included a flyover by a Customs and Border Protection helicopter and the observation of a moment of silence at 7:46 a.m., the moment 20 years ago when the first hijacked airliner was flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
“As international traffic is stopped for the next few minutes, please take this time to remember all that we lost and reflect upon all we have gained,” the MC urged those attending.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com .
