City Of American Canyon Online Community Forums

Dear Residents-

Your presence is encouraged and greatly appreciated to attend the following ceremony:

American Canyon Fire District and the City of American Canyon will conduct a ceremony in observance of the fifth anniversary of 9/11. It will take place on Monday, September 11, at the American Canyon Police Department, 2185 Elliott Drive, in front of the flag pole. The observance will start at 4:00 p.m.

I am sure there will be some refreshments offered after the ceremony. We look forward to your attendance.

Thank you,

Cindy Coffey

Captain Rich Collins is a firefighter with the American Canyon Fire District. Today as we discussed the ceremony and what it meant he told me he sent a letter to the editor of the Napa Register shortly after the September 11th. 2001 tragedies. I asked him to send it to me as I am not a subscriber and didn't see it. I was very touched and wanted to share it with our residents in observance of 9 / 11.

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Hi Cindy,
I wrote the following letter to the Napa Register and it was published late
September 2001:


Because we are a family

People have asked me countless times, how I as a firefighter feel about the events of September 11th.  I tell them we as firefighters feel a great loss. Because we are a family.


It is hard to describe a job where you spend more time with your co-workers than you do with your family.  It is even harder to explain to people why we run into buildings just when everyone else seems to want to leave.  I tell them it's just what we do.  It is who we are and together we are a family.


I have always told my daughters that if they are traveling far from home and find themselves lost or in trouble, stop at the nearest fire station and
tell them your father is a firefighter and they will do whatever they can to
help you.  My brothers and sisters will look out for them.  They would help
my children, just as I would help theirs.  Because we are a family.


I have stopped to imagine if I had been a member of  New York Fire
Department running into one of the twin towers that fateful day to rescue or fight fire.  I would have surely fallen, just as they did.  We would have
died, side by side, doing the job.  Members of the crews would have
frantically dug to rescue me, just as they did for their fallen comrades.
Because we are a family.


Even as I feel sorrow, so do I feel pride.  Even a tragedy of this magnitude
can not displace the pride I feel in our family.  Pride for the strength and
courage my brother and sister firefighers across this nation show every day. At fires and medical calls, at accidents and haz-mats, they do their job. September 11th my brothers and sisters in New York answered the call and did their job.  They did not run away and I am proud.  Because we are a family.


I wanted to extend my thanks to all the generous people who have donated to help the survivors.  Money can't bring back a missing mother or father but it may help a son attend college or a family keep their home.  If that person had been me, that son or daughter going to college would be mine. That house could have been mine and I thank you.  Because we are a family.


How do I feel?  As myself and the nation struggle to come to terms with the enormous tragedy of September 11th, I grieve.  Not for the loss of a friend or a neighbor but for the loss to the Nation and to my family.  The loss of my brother and sister firefighers.  I did not know them, but I grieve still.

Because we are a family.


Rich Collins

A final request for this thread please don't taint the memory with other posts, let's keep this one as it is intended. Thank you

I am in full agreement to try and maintain threads as they are intended. Thank you for taking the time to post this as I didn't recall seeing anything in the paper or the water bill.

Unfortunately due to a prior engagement I will be unable to attend this evening although I hope many others will if they can.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lives were taken as well as our brave soldiers who are across the sea.