MAYVILLE, N.Y. (WKBW) — Chautauqua County officials, first responders, veterans and residents gathered Friday on the front steps of the Chautauqua County Courthouse to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The annual remembrance ceremony honored the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives that day, the service members who died in the Global War on Terror, and those who have since died from 9/11-related illnesses.
County Executive Paul M. "PJ" Wendel Jr. issued a proclamation designating Sept. 11, 2026, as Patriot Day in Chautauqua County, encouraging residents to remember those lost in the attacks and their families, as well as to support military, law enforcement, fire and emergency service personnel.
"Whereas 9/11 was one of the most tragic days in our nation's history, let us also remember the incredible spirit of unity that followed," Wendel read. "Let this day serve as a reminder of what unites us, and we'll always be stronger than what divides us."
Wendel reflected on his longtime friend Amy King, a West Ellicott native and United Airlines flight attendant killed when United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Wendel was teaching a physical education class at Falconer Central School that morning when he and his students learned of the attacks.
"We ran out and got the television. Then turned it on inside the gym and were watching it," Wendel recalled. "It's one of those things you're glued to. You couldn't break yourself away."
Later that day, Wendel learned King was aboard Flight 175.
"Hard to believe. My jaw dropped. Everything stopped again," Wendel said.
King was an outstanding track athlete at Southwestern and competed in cross-country. Her memory has been preserved through memorials including one outside Southwestern Central School, a marker at Lucille Ball Memorial Park in Celeron, Amy King's Playground outside the Lakewood YMCA, and a marker at Amherst Memorial Hill Grove in Erie County.
"There's never a day, a year that's going to go by that she's not going to be linked to that day in history that shook the world," Wendel said. "But we need to keep telling the story of who Amy was and the type of person she was."
WATCH: Chautauqua County marks 25th anniversary of 9/11 with remembrance ceremony
Legion Commander Jason A. Eric noted that more than 9,400 people have died since 9/11 as a result of 9/11 illness or injury, and 54,000 have been diagnosed with cancer from working at Ground Zero.
"I don't care what anybody says. There is no way those who planned that cowardly attack could have imagined that 25 years later, people are still dying by the hundreds," Eric said. "Our resolve must be limitless. Our dedication, and most importantly, our unity."
Eric also honored the memory of the 125 souls lost at the Pentagon and the more than 7,000 American service members who gave their lives during the Global War on Terror.
Sergeant Joe Gullo, the first Army reservist deployed to Afghanistan from Chautauqua County, spoke about the importance of teaching younger generations about 9/11.
"I talked with some young kids and they tell me that they only get one or two paragraphs about 9/11," Gullo said. "It's not right. They've got to know what happened. We've got to keep this day alive."
Gullo also remembered Sergeant Kevin White, 22, of Westfield, who was killed in service.
Michael Ron, director of the Chautauqua County Veterans Service Agency, encouraged veterans to visit the county's Jamestown or Dunkirk offices to learn about benefits available to them and their families.
"As a nation, we have a duty to take care of those police, fire, and first responders who charged into chaos to save lives," Ron said. "Similarly, we have a duty to take care of our veterans who were injured in service."
Wendel emphasized that as the years pass, preserving the personal stories of those who experienced the attacks firsthand becomes increasingly important.
"Those people who remember this so well, who lived it, who experienced it, who could tell you what the dust tasted like, and what it smelled like and everything that they saw, they're leaving," Wendel said. "You can't forget them. Because once they're gone, who's going to tell their story?"
"Twenty-five years later, we continue to remember," Wendel said. "We remember the innocent lives lost, but we also remember the people behind those names, their families, their friendships, their communities and the lives they lived. May we never forget."
