MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — A mix of remembrance, hope and pride spread through Myrtle Beach’s Plyler Park on Tuesday for an evening tribute to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the 9/11 terror attacks.
Among the rippling American flags, moments of prayer and a satellite performance by the world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir, city first responders praised the heroism not only of their own, but the citizen heroes created in a moment.
“After 9/11, we were simply Americans,” Myrtle Beach Fire Chief Tom Gwyer said. “My hope is that we never forget that American spirit, because it is that that makes us, the United States of America, the greatest nation in the world.”
The remembrance, co-sponsored by the city, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Mount Olive AME Church, capped off a string of tributes across the region on the 23rd anniversary of the attacks.
Gwyer said small acts of kindness across the country and selfless instincts of Ground Zero firefighters have stayed with him a generation later.