That fateful day

It may be seven years since 9/11, but many residents say the catastrophic day is fresh in their minds.

Today, on the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, dubbed as Patriot Day by act of Congress, people around the city are finding ways to commemorate the sacrifices of veterans and first responders.

Members of the Huntington Beach American Legion, Post 133, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Jewish War Veterans are holding the city’s official ceremony at 6 p.m. at Pier Plaza. They will hand certificates to the chiefs of police, fire and marine safety, and honors will also go to the departments’ Officers of the Year.

As part of the solemn observances, bagpipes will play, and the police honor guard will give a rifle salute.

Gunnery Sgt. Paul Walters of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, the city’s adopted battalion, will also speak.

The Huntington Beach Elks Lodge is remembering emergency workers in its own way, by delivering pizza to police headquarters and every fire station in the city. It’s the first time they’ve done so, following instructions from the national Grand Lodge to celebrate the day somehow, the lodge’s past Exalted Ruler Wayne LaVigne said.

“The first thought to come to our minds was to honor the heroes of 9/11, which were the fire and police departments,” LaVigne said.

— Michael Alexander

What were your experiences on 9/11?

“I didn’t go to work that day. I stayed home glued to the TV. It was really sad because I lost a cousin in 9/11 – I’m originally from New York, and my mom had worked for a company that had an office in the WTC. I had been in there many times.”

Dan Morgan

commander of the American Legion, Post 133

“I was in a briefing at the police department. We saw the first plane hit, and we couldn’t believe it. And the second plane come in. It’s just unbelievable. You’re saying right then, well, we’re at war. Basically our association started putting it together: ‘How do we help these folks out there?’”

Gil Coerper

city councilman, WWII veteran and former police officer

“I was in bed when a buddy called. I turned it on and started watching the tower going down . . . My brother -in-law — his brother is a fireman [in New York]. He was supposed to work that day, and for some reason he had to take it off, and all 11 guys in his firehouse died. He had this tremendous loss and guilt. I saw it through my brother-in-law, talking to him, how deeply that hit them.”

Keith Bohr

city councilman

“I get up early to call all my bakers on the East Coast, but I wasn’t getting through on the phones. It said ‘All circuits busy.’ So I called over my husband, and told him, ‘None of the phone lines are working! What’s wrong?’ He pulled me over to the TV, and I was shocked.”

Debora George

owner of Wire-a-Cake, a service that delivers cakes, including to soldiers overseas

“I was in bed when my wife called me up. I saw that plane, that first plane, and I was in absolute stunned silence. I couldn’t think. I’m a Vietnam veteran, but it was just too unbelievable to watch. ... I wanted to go to war that day with whoever it was who was responsible for it. And until that enemy is vanquished I can never really look back at it.”

Wayne LaVigne

H.B. Elks Lodge past exalted ruler

“I was actually at a department heads’ staff meeting when somebody said a plane had crashed into one of the towers. We all went in and gathered around the TV set, and when the second plane showed up, I said, ‘You know what? It’s time for me to go.’ We activated our emergency operations center for the city and stayed alert for several days.”

Ken Small

Huntington Beach police chief