‘A somber reminder’

Across Newport-Mesa school campuses, some children too young to know why American flags were at half-staff Friday were told about what changed the world they were born into.

In other places, like at the old courthouse in Santa Ana, people who would never forget looked at the flag and just remembered that day eight years ago.

No matter where you were Friday, someone was reflecting on that Tuesday morning in 2001, who was affected and how it made them feel.

In Orange County, Newport Beach and Costa Mesa firefighters joined other cities’ firefighters and honored the fallen during a short ceremony in Santa Ana.

Traveling north on Pacific Coast Highway, hundreds of motorcycle riders, countless numbers of them decked out in red, white and blue, sped up the coast in a sign of solidarity, memorializing the nearly 3,000 who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Eight years past, the day still means so much to so many people.

“Nine-eleven is a somber reminder of the price individuals pay to provide us with the freedom we, as Americans enjoy, but [we] tend to forget the ultimate cost and lives lost,” said Newport Beach police Sgt. Evan Sailor. “I, for one, would like to thank the men and women of our armed services and public safety community for the sacrifices they and their families have made in order to keep us safe.”

“To me, it’s a combination of things,” said Newport Beach Fire Battalion Chief Ralph Restadius. “It’s an event in New York and remembrance of all the other brothers and sisters who have passed away.”

Costa Mesa Battalion Chief Scott Broussard viewed Friday not as just a singular event, but as a message to Americans about mortality, safety and unity.

“This is a representation of what America is made of — when we can rally around a cause,” Broussard said. “We’ve rallied amid an economic crisis, a nation that’s tighter than it was before.”

It has bolstered government spending in fire and police departments and defense, and has put terrorism at the forefront of our national security concerns, he said.

“Then there’s the other side — the remembrance of our mortality and each one of us in life in general, or in police and fire, is vulnerable,” he said. “It can come from some guy who takes a shot at a [fire] engine during a riot, or a guy taking a shot from a passing car as some gang initiation, or by a group who wants to take out civilians to make some kind of statement.”

It’s a reminder of those who died and gave their lives to save others, Broussard said.

“It’s a sobering reminder that all things are possible,” he said.