Eighth-graders from Hillbrook School joined veterans at the Los Gatos Flame of Liberty Memorial to mark the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The students listened to veterans’ stories about the harrowing events 9-11 and about the actions of Los Gatos High School alums Todd Beamer and Mark Bingham on Flight 93. The plane, which was hijacked by terrorists intent on flying it to Washington, D.C., went down instead in a field in Pennsylvania thanks to Bingham and Beamer, who stormed the cockpit. Former mayor John Lochner led the students in singing “America the Beautiful” to mark the somber anniversary.
U.S. Navy Reserve Capt. Doug Beck, a veteran of conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, shared his memories of 9-11 and the days that followed. He gave the students his perspective on how times of trouble reveal both the worst and the best parts of humanity. Retired Maj. Gen. Kent Hillhouse, a Vietnam veteran, spoke about the effort to build the Veterans Memorial in Los Gatos and its significance to veterans, first responders, and their families. The Hillbrook students have been studying the events of 9-11 and its lasting impact on the U.S. in history classes, so the Los Gatos event provided an opportunity to bring this chilling chapter of American history to life for them.
Students also helped to ring the Los Gatos fire bell at the memorial to honor the first responders who lost their lives on 9-11. Veterans shared with students how the armed forces and first responders work together to protect Americans.
Hillbrook eighth-grader Edis M. shared what he learned from Beck, how 9-11 brought out the worst and the best in people. The worst came in seeing that there are people in the world who want to kill others, and the best came in the way Americans unified to help each other during and after the attacks.
Fellow eighth-grader Jude H. spoke about the impact the fire bell had on him. “The bell says, ‘Some run toward danger when most run away.’ That really got to me, and made me think about the first responders who went into the Twin Towers focusing just on saving lives instead of the danger around them.”