Thank emergency workers on 9-11

Thursday morning, as has been the case for the past six years, Columbia County's emergency workers will gather around the flagpole in front of the Justice Center in Evans.

//

About 8:30 a.m., a ceremony will recognize the sacrifices of those workers on Sept. 11, 2001, as four hijacked airplanes delivered the worst-ever attacks on American soil.

It won't be a long ceremony, especially if it rains as is likely. There won't even be chairs set up; the event doesn't take long enough for them to be necessary.

Metaphorically, that's a powerful idea - because the morning of Sept. 11 is a good time for all of us to stand up for our emergency services.

We all remember the pride we felt immediately after those attacks as we watched those brave workers digging through the rubble. For many of us, it was a visible and badly needed reminder that those workers are the "soldiers" fighting for us in our communities every day - and that like the military, they can be casualties of war, too.

Thanking them every day is a fine idea, but that's a lot to ask. Thanking them on Patriot Day, Sept. 11, isn't asking much - and it's the right thing to do.