LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Flags flew at half-staff as people wore red, white, and blue to honor the veterans on these headstones.
"We need to remember that that happened. If the firefighters weren't there, if those police weren't there, if those service members weren't there, who knows what would have happened," Daniel Murton said.
Murton, a Navy veteran, traveled from Florence to participate in the ceremony at the Lexington National Cemetery. The event honored not just those lost on 9/11, but all people who put their lives on the line to protect freedom.
"Appreciate what you have here because a lot of other countries, you might not be able to say what you want to say. You can't do what you want to do," Murton said.
He helped clean more than 800 headstones alongside other volunteers. Carry the Load, the national non-profit that hosted the National Day of Remembrance, says there are more than 5,000 volunteers nationwide participating in similar ceremonies.
"I want to do something, you know, to help veterans and, you know, especially veterans that died in war, and I think that this is an opportunity to do that on this date. Since so many people were killed, you know, firefighters, police, and other first responders, you know, people that are trying to defend us," Murton said.
Some volunteers placed pennies on veterans' headstones, a tradition to honor these heroes who are no longer with us.
"Trying to humanize the stone itself, you know, and recognize that these are actual people, their names, there's people on the ground here, you know, so that's, I think, you know, makes it more special. It makes the connection more real," Rebecca Gibbs said.
Gibbs, another Navy veteran, brought her children to the ceremony to teach them about the importance of sacrifice and service.
She wanted to show them "how lucky we are every day to have people that protect us, that guide us," Gibbs said.
But on the contrary: "Not to be fearful. So yeah, we've talked about that the first time he saw the image of planes going into the Twin Towers. I mean, it's frightening, you know, he talked about it for a very long time," said Gibbs. "It was frightening, right? But to, for, for, uh, me, you know, reminding him that, you know, we've taken precautions now, we have contingencies."
Regardless of age, people who volunteer understand that without first responders and veteran protection, we wouldn't have the luxury of freedom.
"We need people to do those jobs," Murton said.
