LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives during the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. and were remembered in Las Vegas more than 20 years after the tragedy occurred.
Las Vegas 10-13 Club, a local group of retired New York police officers living in Las Vegas, held the 22nd annual memorial for the victims of 9/11.
It took place at the Police Memorial Park near Cheyenne Avenue and Rampart Boulevard on Monday.
The park is dedicated to police officers and has several statues and memorials for local officers who lost their lives in the line of duty as well.
Members of the club said their goal was to remember and honor the fallen. Current and retired first responders attended and listened to the names of officers who made the ultimate sacrifice.
The ceremony culminated with the release of 23 balloons, one for each of the NYPD officers lost in the line of duty on September 11.
“On that day, our lives changed,” Charlie Licata, Las Vegas 10-13 Club President, recalled. “After the second plane hit, we knew we were under attack.”
Licata was an NYPD officer for 20 years and retired a couple of years before 9/11. He recalled rushing to help but being unable to get into Manhattan at the time.
“We sat there and cried, knowing everyone was dying, and when those buildings came down, we knew they were dead,” Licata said.
He said he remembered the days after the attack the most.
“You can’t describe the smell, the combination of the jet fuel, things burning,” he added.
Licata and other members said they vow to never forget the victims. Even the name of their group Ten-13 is symbolic and is known over the radio as a police code for an officer needing help.
Several government and law enforcement workers honored service members.
The day is close to Las Vegas City Councilwoman Francis Allen-Palenske’s heart, as the daughter of a police officer, and wife and mother to firefighters.
“That is our day of remembrance, and I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for those who remember 9/11 to pass it along to the next generation,” Allen-Palenske said.
