ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Community members and first responders gathered at the Winnebago County 9/11 Emergency Responders Memorial in Rockford to honor the sacrifices made by emergency personnel on September 11, 2001.

The ceremony included the laying of a wreath near a piece of steel beams from the World Trade Center, a solemn reminder of the nearly 400 first responders who lost their lives while trying to save others on that tragic day.

"People should understand that those individuals, our firefighters, our first responders, they ran into those towers when everybody else was running out. They were there to do a duty, to have a purpose to save lives. And they saved thousands of lives," said Brian Carlson, vice president of Winnebago County 9/11 Emergency Responders Memorial.

The memoria

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