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Michigan House holds 9/11 remembrance, honors fallen first responders
Summary
The Michigan House of Representatives held a Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony at the State Capitol featuring remarks from Brig. Gen. R. V. Wogg, a bell ceremony, reading of names of first responders who died in the last year, and musical and invocation components. An opening speaker’s reference to recent high-profile assassinations was inaccurate.
The Michigan House of Representatives held a Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony at the State Capitol in Lansing on Sept. 11, 2025, honoring victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks and Michigan first responders who died in the past year.
Brigadier General R. V. Wogg, assistant adjutant general for the Michigan National Guard, delivered the principal remarks, calling on attendees to remember the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, and to honor the service of first responders and service members. “We made a promise we would remain vigilant, that we would remain united, and that we would never forget,” Wogg said.
The event included an invocation by Pastor Joe Schaler of Parchment Methodist Church, the Pledge of Allegiance led by state Representative Jason Wolford, and a performance of the national anthem by First Sergeant Andrew Chevalier of the Michigan National Guard. Representative Steve Frisbie led a bell ceremony, during which a fireman’s bell was rung three times, paused, and repeated to honor fallen firefighters and first responders.
House members read aloud the names of Michigan first responders who died in the line of duty in the past year. Those named in the ceremony were Officer Kelvin Patrick (Detroit Police Department); Corporal Daniel Kerstetter (motor carrier officer, Michigan State Police); Corporal Mohammed Saeed (Melvindale Police Department); Deputy William Butler (Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Department); Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputy Bradley Rechling; Trooper Joel Popp (Michigan State Police); Firefighter Donna Hatfield (Frederick Township Fire Department); Deputy Isaac Harrigan (Mackinac County Sheriff’s Department); and Firefighter Chris Kosmowski (Warren Fire Department). Families of the Syed, Kerstetter, Patrick and Hatfield families were seated at the rostrum and were acknowledged during the ceremony.
Brig. Gen. Wogg noted the broader toll of Sept. 11, saying the attacks took the lives of thousands and that, as he said, “42 Michiganders and thousands of others” were lost on Sept. 11, 2001. The House recessed into a moment of silence and concluded with instructions for attendees to proceed to the east entrance and the East Capitol Lawn for a post-ceremony lunch.
An opening House member described a “rash of political violence” and cited recent high-profile incidents by name. Those specific assertions — as delivered at the ceremony — do not match publicly available records and were not corroborated by the House during the event. The House did not provide supporting evidence for the named allegations during the ceremony.
The ceremony was primarily commemorative; no formal legislative actions, votes, or referrals were announced during the event. Attendees included state representatives, members of the Michigan National Guard, families of fallen first responders and invited guests.
