09/11/2026
September 11, 2001
Twenty-five years ago today, our nation was forever changed.
On September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and aboard Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. Among them were 343 FDNY firefighters who answered the call and never returned home.
Although Palm Coast was hundreds of miles away, September 11 was deeply personal here. Our young and growing community was already home to many residents who had relocated from New York, New Jersey, and throughout the Northeast. For many Palm Coast families, the places and people they watched on television that morning were not distant—they were home, family, friends, former coworkers, and fellow first responders.
Our own fire department's history records the uncertainty of that day. As events unfolded, Palm Coast firefighters stood ready for the unknown, aircraft were grounded nationwide, and emergency personnel across the country were placed on heightened alert.
One of the people who would later become part of Palm Coast's fire service experienced the aftermath firsthand.
John Pickard was a firefighter in Mantua, New Jersey, on September 11, 2001. In the days that followed, Pickard traveled to Ground Zero, where he spent days participating in the recovery effort.
His connection to September 11 followed him to Palm Coast.
Ten years later, in 2011, serving as a member of the Palm Coast Fire Police, Pickard carried Palm Coast Fire Department Honor Guard and American flags to all three sites of the attacks—Ground Zero in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and the Flight 93 site near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Upon returning home he presented said flag to the Palm Coast Fire Department to be displayed at Fire Station 24 alongside another remarkable piece of history: a piece of steel from the World Trade Center, donated to the department by New York City Fire Department (FDNY) retirees.
Pickard's story is one reminder that September 11 is not only part of our national history. Its history lives within individual communities like ours—in the memories of the people who were there, those who lost friends and colleagues, the first responders who participated in the aftermath, and the families who eventually made Palm Coast their home.
Twenty-five years later, we remember the courage of the first responders, the ordinary people who helped strangers, the families who endured unimaginable loss, and a nation that came together in grief.
Today, the Palm Coast Historical Society & Museum remembers all those who were lost, all those who answered the call, and all those whose lives were forever changed.
🇺🇸🇺🇸 Never forget! 🇺🇸🇺🇸
Read more here: https://flaglerlive.com/palm-coast-honor-guard-9-11/
Article via Flagler Live, 2011
