MT. VERNON, IL (WSIL) � Standing above Interstate 57 in Mt. Vernon along Broadway Street and Veterans Memorial Drive were several Jefferson County Emergency Personnel waving American Flags and honoring the many lives lost on September 11, 2001.
"We just want to remember those people that lost their lives and those people that sacrificed,� said Mt. Vernon Fire Chief Kevin Sargent.
Sargent is a nearly 30-year veteran, and he knows all too well what it means to work as a firefighter.
"It's always in the back of our minds,� said Sargent. “And we know at some point in our career, something is going to happen."
On that day, 343 firefighters and paramedics were killed after charging into the World Trade Center with one objective in mind, and that’s to save as many lives as possible.
"Those firemen -- you could see it in their eyes -- when they made that decision they didn't have a choice,� said Sargent. “They made that choice when they started that career, and you know any day it could be your last day.
That number of 343 sits ingrained into the mind of Sargent, and it's a number he thinks about every day, especially on the anniversary of the attack.
"Those guys, you can go back and watch all the videos you want, and you can watch the determination on their face,� said Sargent. “They took an oath to protect and serve.�
Sargent recalls the images of those firefighters as they were preparing themselves to walk into the World Trade Center ready to help as many people as they could.
"As a fellow firefighter, you could see it on their faces, when they were walking into that building they knew that this could be their last day,� said Sargent.
Sargent was a lieutenant at the time and he says he will never forget that day and what he was doing when he saw what happened on TV.
"I was on duty that morning,� Sargent recalls. “We had just gotten back from a call and we walked into the station and we saw the First World Trade Center that was hit was on fire.�
Reflecting back on that day 22 years ago, Sargent says it's important to remember the nearly 3 thousand people who lost their lives that day.
“We’re getting now where we have people that don’t know it happened because they were born or didn’t live it,� said Sargent. “So we’re getting to the point where we’ve got to keep this remembrance day happening every year.�
