www.dailycorinthian.com
Sunday Sept. 11, 2011 $1.50
Daily Corinthian Vol. 115, No. 217
• Corinth, Mississippi •
0 -
! -
Late TStorms Today
Tonight
84
62
20 pages • Two sections
9/11: 10 years later... Locals Thank you, The U.S. share under First Responders memories attack? BY STEVE BEAVERS
BY JEBB JOHNSTON
sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
It started like any normal day. By midday, Tuesday, September 11, 2001, would be remembered for anything but normalcy. The terrorist attacks on the United States that day changed the country and people who witnessed the shocking events. “My wife had just returned home from taking our children to school and I turned on the television to watch the morning news,� said Tate Baptist Church Pastor Mickey Trammel. “When CNN reported that a plane had hit the World Trade Center, I thought that it must have been a pilot flying a small aircraft that experienced mechanical problems.� The plane’s crash into the World Trade Center would be no accident. “When the second tower was hit a short time later, I knew that this was no accident, but I couldn’t quite grasp that terrorists could hijack two major airliners,� added Trammel, who was pastoring a church in Golden at that time. “Learning that another crash had taken place at the Pentagon brought the horrifying thought that our entire nation was under attack.� Like millions of Americans, Trammel sat spellbound viewing the newscasts throughout the day. Alcorn Superintendent of Education Stacy Suggs was teaching a 9th grade Mississippi Studies class when he heard the news about the attacks. “We all turned on our classroom televisions to see what was going on,� said Suggs. “The first plane had struck one tower and I remember watching as the second plane came into view and struck the other tower.� Suggs and his students sat shocked and anxious to learn the extent of the attacks. “At that time, the media did not know either and we were all waiting,� he said. “I remember talking to the students about the attacks and how they felt, and many were fearful.� Trammel and other pastors in the area began organizing prayer services later that day. “It was a sad occasion as church members made their way into these prayer meetings, but it was a blessing to see the dedication and faith that these dear brothers and sisters displayed,� he said. Magnolia Funeral Home’s Charlie Browning had already been to work, but had returned home to pick up something. “I was startled,� said Browning as he watched the breaking news on that tragic day. “Fear gripped me as I could not figure out what was going on and I did not realize that the United States of America was under attack by terrorists.� September 11 taught many to not to
It was the type of defining event that, for many, froze a routine moment in time. Retired FBI agent Bowen Johnson was about to head to a business meeting in Memphis on the sunny morning of Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, when his phone rang, and the associate he was to meet told him to turn on his television. They canceled their meeting and began coordinating the response their company — one dealing with military and federal protective armor — might need to make in the difficult times ahead. “Many of the U.S. law enforcement agencies and military groups I had been involved with suddenly saw their role in national security immediately altered,� said Johnson. “They had to evolve new missions and methods of operation to effectively counter the never-beforefaced threats. To date, those efforts have largely been successful. However, we know we can never relax our guard.� It continues to be a factor for law enforcement every day. “In my current position as director of the Northeast Mississippi Law Enforcement Training Center,� said Johnson, “we have increasingly seen the addition of subject material designed to counter threats such as these. Anti-terrorism awareness, intelligence coordination and planning effective responses have become standard training topics, in addition to the older, more traditional subjects.� He said eternal vigilance and preparation is a mandated responsibility. “It is my sincere hope that our communities continue to support this vital task with adequate resources,� said Johnson. “As the nation’s centurions, we have a sworn responsibility to protect those we serve.� John Beavers, a volunteer fireman in Glen, was on his way to work when his cell phone rang and a friend told him a plane had hit the World Trace Center. He stopped at a nearby quick stop where he knew there was a television. “There were 10 or so other people focused on the screen,� said Beavers. “Some held their hands over their mouths. Some were just staring at the screen, and others were whispering to the people next to them. Every one was very quiet. All I could see was a huge, thick black column of smoke rising from one of the towers. When I got to my truck I prayed for all of the people there.� He thought of his counterparts responding to the emergency in New York. “I thought, ‘How on earth are they going to put that out,’� said Beavers. “I knew if it could be put out, the FDNY could do it. They are the best in the world.� A little later, another plane hit the second tower.
Please see ATTACK | 3A
Staff photo by Jebb Johnston
Charlotte Doehner greets Deputy Police Chief Scotty Harville with a hug at Saturday’s Celebrate Freedom Day. Participants honored emergency personnel for their dedication to public safety.
Emergency personnel get pat on the back BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian. com
It’s time to say “thank you.� On the 10th anniversary of one of the nation’s greatest tragedies,
many locals are giving a pat on the back to the emergency personnel who are willing to make great sacrifices for public safety. Participants in Celebrate Freedom Day at
Crossroads Regional Park on Saturday recognized emergency personnel, while Indian Springs United Methodist Church will honor Please see THANKS | 2A
Honor flag for those who died
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
A Pocket Full of Posies co-owner Jennifer Rickman adds an honor flag to a patriotic display at her flower and gift shop on Highway 72 East. The flag, which has over 3,000 names of those who perished in the attacks of 9/11, was loaned to the shop by Mitch and Glenda Moore. The flag will be displayed at the Glen Fire Department today. Rickman owns the shop along with her mother, Linda Brock.
Please see SHARE | 3A
Task force chairman — Education remains key for better future BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
The resources are in place to solve the problem.
All it takes is a little effort from everyone. That’s what Bobby Capps believes as early childhood education task
force chairman for the Commission on the Future of Alcorn County. Education is the key as the commission strives
Index Stocks....11A Classified......5B Comics......3B
Crossroads ....2B Weather......5A Obituaries......3A
to build a better Alcorn County, according to Capps. “There is no quick fix to any of this, but unless
there is a sustained effort, we won’t solve the problem,� said the chairman. Unless the education issue is solved, Capps says
companies like Toyota aren’t coming to Alcorn County.
On this day in history 150 years ago Sept. 11 — The Kentucky legislature, angry over the neutrality violation, demands the immediate removal of Confederate troops from the state. Gen. Robert E. Lee begins the five day Cheat Mountain campaign in western Virginia.
Please see TASK | 3A