City Remembers 9/11 At Solemn Ceremony
Sep 11, 2025 10:24PM ● By Jeanne Fratello
A solemn ceremony on Thursday morning in Manhattan Beach
marked the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and honored the victims.
Manhattan
Beach fire and police personnel stood in front of the city's 9/11 memorial, which sits at the corner of 15th
and
Valley in front of the main fire station, as leaders from the fire department gave brief remarks. Also in attendance were city officials, and a crowd of several dozen community members.
"It has been 24 years since that tragic event, and yet the memories remain vivid," Manhattan Beach Fire Chief Jesse Alexander told the assembled group.
Alexander noted that 2,977 people were killed on that day, and since then an estimated 4,600 more rescue and recovery workers have died as a result of 9/11-related illnesses. "This is why we say, 'Never forget.' This is not a phrase of habit, but a solemn promise," said Alexander.
(Photo credit: Pete Halvorsen)Deputy Fire Chief Anthony Gomes then rang a fire bell in a traditional "last call" marked by three rings, repeated three times, in honor of police and fire personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty. The tradition dates back to when the bell would strike three times to signal the end of a shift, and repeating it gives it a sense of "finality and respect," said Gomes.
"The ringing reminds us that their duty is complete, their shift is over, they have answered their last alarm, and they have returned home," added Gomes. "May the sound of the bell remind us to carry forward their legacy of service and to never forget."
9/11 Memorial Contains Columns from World Trade Center
The city's 9/11 memorial contains two steel columns
that are remnants of the World Trade Center towers that collapsed on
September 11, 2001.
Manhattan Beach residents have long felt a deep connection to the September 11 terrorist attack.
Manhattan
Beach resident Chandler "Chad" Keller, age 29, died on 9/11 as one of
the passengers of American Flight 11. Many other Manhattan Beach locals
have friends or relatives who perished on that day.
Manhattan Beach Fire Department Captain/Paramedic Tim O'Brien and the late Engineer/Paramedic Jeff
Sanders had both traveled to New York
City in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 to assist in rescue efforts.
September
11 is also a significant day in the Manhattan Beach Police Department:
It marks the 73rd anniversary of the death of the first Manhattan
Beach police officer to die in the line of duty, Frederick Grau.
2025 Manhattan Beach 9/11 Ceremony [7 Images]
Click Any Image To Expand
