Gilroy Remembers the Fallen

It was 10 years ago that Julie Gopp learned that her good friend, Amy King, had died with her fiancée when terrorists took control of their plane on 9/11 and crashed it into the World Trade Center.

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, Gopp said that the time has done little to soothe the pain of her loss.

“In my heart, I know I’ll never forget,” she said, “I pray that people will never forget.”

Gopp was one of many who filled the seats of the amphitheater for Gilroy’s 9/11 Community Day of Remembrance on Sunday. Led by Chaplain Malcolm Macphail, the ceremony commended the emergency responders who risk their lives and acknowledged the lingering effects that the event had on America.

“This is our Pearl Harbor,” said the chaplain.

Speaking from his own experience at Ground Zero was Chaplain Jim Uhey, a specialist in disaster relief who spent two weeks in New York City helping residents heal after the disaster.

Uhey said that man’s free will, while a gift, also carries the risk that it will inspire acts like those in the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Yet in the outpouring of cooperation and selflessness that followed the disaster, there was redemption.

“We need to honor these people on a daily basis,” Uhey said. 

Gilroy’s police and fire chiefs also spoke to reflect on the impact that the event had on both Gilroy and the nation.

“I know many of you think that terrorism is a million miles away from Gilroy, but we’re ready,” said Gilroy police Chief Denise Turner. “It can happen anywhere.”

For Gilroy fire Chief Dale Foster, three words represented the spirit that helped keep America together following the attacks.

“Duty, sacrifice and honor,” he said. “These are the ingredients for us to remain free.”

Four large posters displayed at the event allowed attendees to read the names of the 2,973 people who died in the attack on Sept. 11, 2001.

“Remember—they were people, like you and I, in a typical community,” Macphail said.