JONES COUNTY, Ga. — A little over 20 years have passed since thousands of lives were lost in the 9/11 attacks. People across Central Georgia paid tribute to fallen heroes and victims, some even honored local first responders and military.
Russell Curry, a veteran from Gray, said he was in Dublin when the tragedy happened and vividly remembers when he received the news.
"The whole store gathered around the counter to see and we turned it on just in time to see the cycle plane hit the tower," Curry said. "... That place went silent and that's another day I'll never forget."
He says since 2001, he's made an annual effort to honor the fallen.
"It's an honor and privilege to be here today to honor these people that lost their lives unexpectedly; they left home, never returned," he said.
Olgie Gassett, previously served in the Marine Corp and like Curry, prioritizes the commemoration of 9/11.
"This day is important to me because the community needs to do more for the military people and the first responders because the way this world is nowadays, you never know if you're gonna see your family that day when they finish their job," Gassett said.
Debra Hall, founder and CEO of Kingdom Building Outreach Ministries Intercessory Network, Her ministry hosted a Patriot Day luncheon in Carol's Park, Wednesday, to honor military and first responders, with food and prayer from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"Our reward was seeing the people come and allowing us to pray with them, individually, pray with them as a group and declare blessings over them," Hall said.
A few hours before the luncheon, Curry who serves as commander of his post, said he replaced a flag honoring Billy Mitchell, a former Jones County Captain, after noticing the flag faded and torn.
Mitchell lost a battle to cancer in 2021.
"It was an honor for us to do that. We, we love to raise flags for, for people to keep America strong," Curry said. "Yes, that's what we do."
Representatives from the Jones County Sheriffs Office and Gray Police Department attended, along with several veterans.