JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Friday marks 14 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, tragedy, when nearly 3,000 Americans lost their lives and more than 6,000 were hurt. It's a day Americans will never forget.
To honor and remember those who lost their lives, ceremonies will be held nationwide and all around Florida, including several in northeast Florida.
"It's extremely important for us to remember and never forget because our young generations don't know," said Father Sal Di Fazio, who helped plan a memorial in Jacksonville.
Di Fazio was a volunteer firefighter in New York and knew many who responded at the Twin Towers.
"My company in the Fire Department in the subsequent days went down to Ground Zero to help," he said.
He said he's thankful none of those he knew were killed.
"This is very important to us," Chief Jack Griggs said. "We all are brothers and sisters, and we all are in an organization where we feel like we're a family. Even though it happened in New York, we still feel very close to them because fire services is a brotherhood and sisterhood."
At Memorial Park in Riverside, the Jacksonville Fire-Rescue Department participated in a procession after a mass honoring their fallen colleagues. They also carried a wreath to honor first responders who lost their lives on Sept. 11 and tossed the wreath into the St. Johns River.
After the ceremony, many headed to Metropolitan Park to participate in the September 11 Day of Service and Remembrance. The program featured JSO's and JFRD's honor guards, performances by the Edward Waters College Choir, JFRD's Pipes and Drums Band and a water demonstration from a JFRD marine unit.
"I don't think everyone is forgetting, but like anything else, time heals all wounds, and as time goes by and we don't do things like today, then people will forget because it's too painful to remember when you are attacked," said Dr. Helen Jackson, of the Women of Color Cultural Foundation. "But we must remember so it does not happen again."
Another ceremony was held at Memorial Park at Naval Station Mayport Friday morning. Veterans and active-duty military honored and praised the first responders who protect the country every single day.
Navy Chief Master at Arms Joshua Cox is one of many who remember when and where he was on Sept. 11. He was already prepared to serve in the Navy, but the attacks changed his perspective.
"It really dawned on me, ‘Wow, this isn't just going to be a four- or five-year hitch, it's going to be my career from now on,'" said Cox.
He is one of dozens of sailors who participated in Friday's ceremony at Memorial Park.
"It is true. We forget our tradition and heritage in our history, if we don't remember it, even a tragic one where we lost loved ones," said Cox.
Base Commander Capt. Wes McCall was especially honored to thank local first responders and medical personnel who were in the crowd Friday.
"It is emotional," McCall said. "I see these guys out here each and every day, and sometimes their work goes unnoticed. They work in the shadows and quietly do their job, so it's important I was able to recognize them for their efforts and the important role they have here at Naval Station Mayport."
Chief Master of Arms James Watkins was in Naples, Italy, on Sept. 11, 2001, and said he hopes he never has to feel those same feelings again.
"I remember the sadness that I felt, and I hope I never have that feeling again," Watkins said. "And then when the Pentagon got hit, I remembered that anger that I felt. It was truly one of the saddest days that I have ever been in."
Veterans like Al Iannacone, who spent 27 years active duty in the Navy, said the the 9/11 attacks started a war on terror that continues to this day.
"I's a Cold War-type kind of war," Iannacone said. "It's not a two-year war. It's a generational war, and we need to understand that we have enemies, and we need to understand what our obligations are to defend freedom in America."
In St. Augustine, the city's ceremony of remembrance was at the main fire station, off Malaga Street, and was open to the public.
"We have to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice and the families they left behind. So we're following in the tradition and footsteps of those who left before us, so it's extremely important that we honor those and remember," said Fire Chief J.C. Costeira.
At Florida State College of Jacksonville's downtown campus, the school's president and Sheriff Mike Williams helped honor military and public safety men and women.
A memorial ceremony was held at Jacksonville National Cemetery at 10 a.m. That event, at the cemetery's amphitheater at 4083 Lonnie Road, specifically honored the U.S. Navy veterans who fought in Benghazi, Afghanistan, on Sept. 11, 2012.
Cox said he hopes people nationwide take a moment to reflect today, whether it's remembering those who lost their lives or praying for those involved.
"I'm pretty sure it will keep going for quite some time to acknowledge and honor those individuals, and remember it's not just for 9/11, the reasons why we're here and we serve," said Cox.
There is also a 9/11 Heroes Run in Jacksonville Beach at the Seawalk Pavilion at 6 p.m. to remember the sacrifices of the heroes of the Sept. 11 attacks and the wars fought since.