Patriot Day ceremony recalls sacrifices
Brian Walker | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 12 years, 8 months AGO
POST FALLS - Bill Davis first remembers anger, then came healing and unity.
The Post Falls man and member of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association was among about 175 people who attended a Patriot Day ceremony at the Post Falls City Hall plaza on Tuesday, the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"I was with a group of Vietnam veterans the day after the attacks, and us old guys were ready to get back into uniform and pick up our arms," he said. "We were angry, and we're still angry."
But Davis said the tragedy and sacrifices were also a wake-up call. That's why, he said, ceremonies remembering those lost are critical.
"It's a little Americana," he said. "It's what keeps the American spirit alive. We're all advocates for our freedom, and we need these things to remember that.
"9/11 made me more aware of what we have is very precious."
Post Falls' Alexis Curtis became teary-eyed thinking about those who died.
"Children, mothers, fathers, grandparents ... ," she said. "It's still hard for me to imagine that this happened in this country. When I saw it on TV, I thought it was a movie.
"I look at our freedom differently now. A lot of men and women sacrificed their lives to keep this country free."
Members of Post Falls police and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue each rang a bell to honor fallen comrades and to represent each war, including the War on Terror.
The PFPD Honor Guard lowered the American flag to half staff in honor of Patriot Day.
"The turnout today shows that we do not forget and never will the sacrifices of 9/11," Mayor Clay Larkin said.
Coeur d'Alene's Leann Drapeau said we're more aware of the world's situation as a result of 9/11, but said we also can get complacent.
"Anything can happen, but we have to live our lives, not be afraid and trust that God will take care of us," she said. "It makes you appreciate what we have here."
ARTICLES BY BRIAN WALKER

Two arrests made in heroin trafficking case
POST FALLS — Two Shoshone County men were arrested in a heroin trafficking case during a traffic stop on Interstate 90 at Post Falls last week.

Ingraham charged with first-degree murder
The 20-year-old nephew of a Post Falls man found dead in Boundary County in September has been charged with first-degree murder of his uncle.
Is arming teachers a good idea or over-reaction?
No movement in region to go that route to enhance school safety
While the idea of arming teachers, as a means to increase school safety, is catching on in some areas, there’s no such momentum in Kootenai County.