McAllen commemorates 9/11 with speeches, bell ceremony and calls for unity

McAllen — City officials, first responders and community members assembled at McAllen Central Fire Station for a morning memorial marking the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, honoring those who died and the emergency workers who responded.

City Manager Isaac Tewil opened remarks by urging community solidarity. "Here in McAllen today, we reaffirm our commitment to unity, resilience, and service," Tewil said, calling remembrance important so future generations do not forget the events and sacrifices of that day.

McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez delivered the keynote, emphasizing the scale of the loss among first responders and the duty to remember. "We remember because we cannot forget," Rodriguez said, noting that more than 400 first responders did not return after rushing to the scene on Sept. 11, 2001, including 343 firefighters and 72 police officers.

Alex Rosa, introduced as a Lone Star EMS member and a retired New York City firefighter who was at ground zero, described the ongoing human cost. "I survived. But in the years since, I have watched too many of my friends lose their battle," Rosa said, referring to illnesses that later claimed the lives of responders who worked at the World Trade Center site.

The ceremony included a chaplain-led invocation and closing prayer by McAllen Fire Department Chaplain Lieutenant Javier Alaniz. In the invocation the chaplain asked for peace for victims and the world, saying in part, "God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world, peace in the hearts of all men and women."

Organizers held a traditional bell ceremony to honor fallen firefighters. A ceremony speaker described the bell’s history in firefighting tradition and explained that the bell would be rung three rings, three times to signify a comrade's final alarm and return "to quarters." The memorial also featured the posting of colors by the McAllen Fire Department honor guard and a performance of the national anthem by driver Aaron Magana.

Speakers framed the event as both a remembrance of the Sept. 11 attacks and a reminder of shared civic duties. Several officials in attendance — including representatives from the offices of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Monica De La Cruz, members of McAllen city leadership, and local law-enforcement and border-patrol personnel — were recognized at the start of the program.

The program combined ceremonial traditions with personal testimony about the tasks, communications and risks faced by first responders that day. Presenters recounted radio transmissions and on-the-ground decisions that rescue teams used inside the World Trade Center towers, and they underscored the continuing need to support responders and their families in the years that followed.

The ceremony concluded with a prayer and a call from organizers to leave united and safe. "Come together for your family, for your neighbors, and for this city," one speaker said in closing.