DENVER | Colorado government leaders marked the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks Tuesday with a service that also honored the victims of the Aurora theater shooting and wildfires this summer that destroyed hundreds of homes.
Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan called first responders “our heroes” and said he wanted to deliver a message from his constituents.
“Senseless acts of violence do not define us as a community,” Hogan told a crowd of hundreds at a park across the street from the state Capitol. “Instead it is the lives and acts of heroes and the overwhelming acts of kindness and care for our neighbors that best defines Aurora, and the same can be said of our entire state.”
Twelve people were killed and 58 wounded in the July 20 shootings, and several hundred homes were destroyed in June in wildfires in Colorado Springs and west of Fort Collins during a lengthy heat wave. A spring wildfire in the foothills southwest of Denver destroyed or damaged two dozen homes.
State officials remembered victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and thanked the country’s first responders. Steel from one of the twin towers was on display with a U.S. flag draped over the material. A New York City fire truck that responded to the World Trade Center was parked nearby. Ladders from the Colorado Springs and Poudre fire departments held up the U.S. flag and Colorado flag over a main stage near the state Capitol.
“I think a lot of people come to just pay respect and definitely support, boost the morale,” said Denver Augustine Flores, 38, one of the attendees.
Gov. John Hickenlooper said he was “really in awe” of how Colorado showed resolve in adversity this summer.
“As we reflect on the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and the events of this summer, let us also recognize our humanity in the face of that tragedy and our country’s unyielding will to prevail,” Hickenlooper said.
Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates, Aurora Fire Chief Mike Garcia and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock also spoke at the event. Garcia recalled how hours after the shootings, he started receiving phone calls of support from various fire departments, including one from New York City. He said some firefighters flew to Aurora.
“They knew what we were going through, and they wanted to start the healing process,” Garcia said. “God bless you, New York Fire.”
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