CANDLES LIT — Toronto Firefighter Joe Eltringham was among many emergency first responders who distributed candles with the help of his sons, Max, center; and Joseph, a member of Boy Scout Troop 41, during a candlelight service held Thursday at Toronto’s Gazebo Commons to remember the tragedy and bravery of Sept. 11, 2001. -- Warren Scott

TORONTO — Many gathered at the city’s Gazebo Commons Thursday evening to remember the many lives lost from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but also the bravery of the many emergency personnel who responded and the unity shown by citizens throughout the nation afterward.

Involving local officials and first responders and Toronto American Legion Post 86, the Patriot Day service was one of many held throughout the Ohio Valley and the U.S. to mark the 24th anniversary of that day.

Tom Anderson, a retired Air Force firefighter, noted the many emergency responders killed while attempting to aid people inside the World Trade Center as well as civilians and military personnel iwho perished nside the New York City buildings and the Pentagon when three hijacked airliners struck the buildings.

He noted among the many who perished were 658 employees of Cantor Fitzgerald, a financial services firm on the top floors of the World Trade Center’s top floors.

Anderson added 44 crew members and passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 were killed that day while preventing terrorists who took over that fourth airliner from reaching their unknown, intended target.

REMBERING LOST LIVES — At a Patriot Day service held Thursday at Toronto’s Gazebo Commons, TEMS Director Clark Crago, center, read the numbers of people killed at each of the targets of terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 while Toronto Police Chief Charley Daniels, left, saluted each group and Toronto Interim Fire Chief Ryan Boyd rang a bell for them. -- Warren Scott

He said Americans should remember the many who lost their lives and the resilience and sense of unity with which the nation responded in the days that followed.

Interim Fire Chief Ryan Boyd noted he was an eighth grader in school when he and learned of the attacks and with his classmates, sat stunned and confused as they viewed news of them on television.

But he said a lasting impression was made on him and many others by the police, firefighters and ambulance crews “who ran towards the chaos, not away from it.”

Boyd said all first responders carry on a legacy adhered to by the first responders who rushed into the burning buildings and up numerous flights of stairs, some never to return.

He noted many who survived still suffer from respiratory illness and other health issues caused by exposure to the heavy smoke and dust that rose from the fallen structures.

City Police Chief Charley Daniels noted each year, he tries to present an example of the many brave men and women who were dispatched to the burning buildings.

On Thursday, he told of Moira Smith, a New York City police officer described by colleagues as having “the face of an angel and the heart of a lion.”

Daniels said Smith entered a burning tower of the World Trade Center and helped many to evacuate the building.

Ed Nicholls, one of many whom she aided, recalled her leading him and others outside before returning inside before the building collapsed.

Daniels noted Smith’s body was found later in the debris with her badge, which is displayed at the 9-11 New York Police Museum.

Smith was posthumously awarded the New York Police Department’s Medal of Honor and the Congressional Medal of Honor and a playground at Madison Square Park has been named for her.

Daniels noted she was survived by her husband, a fellow police officer; and a two-year-old daughter.

Clark Crago, director of the TEMS Joint Ambulance District, a local ambulance service, said the deaths of such emergency personnel hits local first responders everywhere very hard.

He asked the many attending the service to acknowledge local police, firefighters and ambulance staff who were present, noting their willingness to put their lives at risk for others.

The first responders received applause.

The three local emergency department leaders conducted a ceremony in which the numbers of people killed at each of the terrorists’ target sites and the four airlines were read and a bell was rung and a salute delivered for each group.

Mayor John Parker, who served as master of ceremonies, said 24 years ago, Americans witnessed worst terrorist attacks on the nation but they also saw the courage and spirit they collectively can embrace.

“No single event can destroy the U.S. No single event can destroy who we are. No act of terrorism can destroy what we stand for,” he said.

In delivering the closing prayer, the Rev. Mark Prichard of Crossroads North River Church, said even in darkness, God’s light shines and because of God’s blessings, the U.S. still stands.