News

Veterans hold 9/11 ceremony

By Scott Wagar

09/16/2014

The Bottineau County Veterans held the Thirteenth Anniversary 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the International Peace Garden on Thursday where the veterans conducted the Color Guard, held a 21-gun salute and the commander spoke on behalf of the 3,000 individuals who lost theirs lives on that day in America.

The event took place at the 9/11 memorial site with Colonel Al Wondrasek (Ret) of Bottineau as the keynote speaker. Wondrasek spoke on the importance of remembering 9/11.

“September 11 is an episode of our history and it’s important that we take the time to remember this event,” Wondrasek said.

“The United States and Canada has been big players in freedom throughout our histories. There is no other country in the world that has a 4,000-mile border with no fence. We have never lifted arms against each other and we have fought side by side with each other.

“The U.S. was attacked, not by an army, not by a country that declared war on us, but it was terrorists that was developed from the time they were first born to hate the U.S. and freedom,” Wondrasek continued.

“Having served 27 years in the U.S. Armed Forces, I have seen one too many times that we get complacent and we think the world is safe, and we downsize our services, and our Canadian brothers do the same, and it comes back to haunt us later.

“Remember, we have to do what is important to protect both our countries.

“With the attention of the event to 9/11, we do this because we have to remember. You have to remember history, you have to remember what happened and you can’t let your guard down,” Wondrasek stated.

“Do newspapers remember what happened on the seventh of December? It just flies by. The president of the United States at that time said that this event would live in infamy.

“I don’t know, infamy is kind of going away. So, I hope for 9/11 it doesn’t go away and we continue to honor and respect the event of 9/11 here in the Peace Garden.”

The North Star School from Cando took part in the ceremony and sang patriotic songs.