Augusta Fire Chief Antonio Burden will never forget Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001.
At the time, he was a lieutenant at DeKalb Fire Station 1 and had just finished the morning checks when he sat down at his desk to do some paperwork.
MORE: 9/11 Retrospective: Start Here for the Special Edition
“I glanced at the TV,” said Burden in relaying his memories during a speech Saturday at Augusta University’s D. Douglas Barnard Jr. Amphitheatre. The city of Augusta and the university joined together for a commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
The ceremony led up to the annual Steven Siller Tunnel To Towers 5K. Siller was an off-duty firefighter, who when he learned about the attacks on the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers rushed to the site. He abandoned his vehicle at the tunnel because it was blocked, grabbed his 60-pounds of gear and ran to the towers where he lost his own life.
Burden recalled how the radios went silent that morning as a dagger pieced through the heart of the nation bringing “devastating feelings of shock, sadness, fear and anger.”
Despite the horror of the day, “God will always send a rainbow,” he said.
It came in the outpouring of love and caring of people.
In Augusta, Shane Atkins, a local firefighter, started raising money for the families of the firefighters who lost their lives that day. It spread as then Mayor Bob Young expanded the effort. The campaign raised more than $1 million, Burden said.
Scott Peebles, chief deputy of the marshal’s office, also talked about the outpouring of love and caring of citizens and the first responders that day such as Siller who went into harm’s way, knowing there was a possibility they were sacrificing their own lives.
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They did it without concern for a person’s race, religion, sexual orientation or political party.
To honor their memory, Peebles encouraged those attending to take the time to have a conversation with a neighbor, friend or fellow countryman or woman, but to really listen to what the person had to say even if their point of view was different.
Peebles also said that Stiller lived by a quote that others should emulate.
“While we have the time, let us do good,” he said.
The ceremony ended with the ringing of 5-5-5 bell.
The code dates back to the days of the telegraph when a series of five measured dashes followed by a pause repeated three times would alert firefighters to the death of one killed in the line of duty.
“This became universally known as the Tolling of the Bell and was broadcast over all telegraph fire alarm circuits. This signal was a sign of honor and respect for all firefighters who had made the ultimate sacrifice and has become a time-honored tradition,” according to the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ website.
After the ceremony, the 5K began. More than 300 people participated in the event, which raises money for several programs including mortgage-free homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first-responders.
Each participant was given a badge with a photo of a firefighter who died on 9/11; they were asked to wear it during the walk/run.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
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