(LEX 18) — More than 100 first responders and community leaders gathered in downtown Lexington to remember and honor those who were lost on September 11th, 2001.
In the crowd were relatives of Rowan County native Edward T. Earhart. 9/11 is an especially somber day for his family.
The Navy meteorologist was working at the Pentagon when American Airlines Flight 77 hit the side of the building.
"We were so proud of him, because he got to go to the Pentagon," his older sister Andrea Earhart Stauter.
The 26-year-old was the first person identified when the smoke cleared from the attack.
"He did his best, he helped the Boy Scouts, he was always doing community outreach, but he loved his job in the U.S. Navy," she told LEX 18.
She now works to educate younger generations about 9/11. She doesn't want people to forget the sacrifices people like her brother made.
"I have gone to several schools for social studies to talk about 9/11," she said. "To show my scrapbooks, to show this is what happened, and it was very hard for our country, but the good thing is it brought us unity."
23 years later, Lexington Fire Chief Jason Wells also remembers the way the country united after the attacks.
"That is something my generation had never seen before and I don't think has seen since," he said. "And I think our country should take a look back and model that."
