Sparta observes Patriots’ Day

Nineteen years after the unbelievable attacks on the United States that resulted in the loss of 2,977 American lives, Sparta and White County paused to remember and honor both those who lost their lives and those who did so much to rescue the many others that were affected that day.

During the third annual Patriot’s Day Remembrance Ceremony, a small crowd gathered at Metcalf Park, in downtown Sparta. Representatives from American Legion Post 99, Knights of Columbus, White County Veterans Service Office, and Sparta Woman’s Club combined to create a ceremony that included prayer, singing, salutes to the American flag, speakers, and a flag retirement ceremony.

The keynote speaker, State Representative Paul Sherrell, addressed the crowd, which included many White County officials and law enforcement officers as well as retired military personnel and residents of the community, and challenged them to remember the moment they had heard that their country was under attack. He challenged them to remember the feelings they had, the patriotism they felt, and the unity they saw across the land. He urged the crowd to hold tight to those feelings and reunite and support their government, their law enforcement officers, their emergency workers, and their neighbors.

After a song by Gene Hodge, Pastor Steve Qualls addressed the crowd and followed up on Sherrell’s call for support and unity. His message was one of hope as he told the small crowd that God was on their side and reminded them they cannot give up the fight for freedom, or they will give up everything that has been accomplished over the past 244 years.

Knights of Columbus performed a flag retirement ceremony, complete with a salute to the flag that was to be taken out of use, a reading, and a ceremonial cutting and burning of the flag.

“The grommet is a tiny ring that holds the flag to the flagpole. As you can see, the grommets have been placed in the fire, and they will survive the flag retirements procedures. They are strong enough to withstand the hard flames that retired the American flag, and we appreciate this resistance. We, at the American Legion, take a special interest in the grommet. We believe that the grommet is an important part of this flag,” Ron LaPierre, American Legion Post 99 commander, read before presenting the grommets to White County Sheriff Steve Page in a gesture of support for local law enforcement. “We must stay strong like the grommets in our beliefs in American patriots that we keep our freedom intact. “

Before the crowd dispersed, Sparta Fire Department performed a “Striking the Four Fives,” a traditional, ceremonial five-strike ringing of the service bell that is repeated in four series with a slight pause between each series. The custom is to honor the U.S. firefighters and police officers who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001.

“It is with regret that we announce the deaths of these faithful servants who we gather here today to memorialize.”

The original ceremonial ringing was followed by the above statement, and it was only fitting that across the country, and in Sparta, the New York firefighters and police officers who were killed in the line of duty, on Sept. 11, 2001, are honored each year with the tradition from their home city.