LANCASTER COUNTY EMS COUNCIL PRESIDENT ANDREW RENNIE MESSAGE

I know that for all of us here today – and in fact, for all Americans – September 11, 2001 forever changed our world.

Just as December 7, 1941 – Pearl Harbor Day – defined a generation, September 11 has indelibly shaped who we are, how we live our daily lives and what we believe in.

But unlike Pearl Harbor, in which one nation attacked a military installation, this time an organization of terrorists, not operating under the flag of any one nation, attacked thousands of unsuspecting innocent men and women.

Our sons and daughters; grandsons and granddaughters; husbands and wives; coworkers and friends – who were doing nothing out of the ordinary for a typical Tuesday morning.

Bankers and brokers. Analysts and administrative assistants. Technicians. Designers. Some just starting out in the workplace; some at the apex of their careers.

Pilots and flight attendants. Vacationers, business travelers and those flying across the country to see friends and family.

And police officers, firefighters and EMS providers, who took an oath to protect and serve the hard-working public no matter how horrific the circumstances.

All of these individuals committed no offense against another nation.

They held no ill will towards others. They did not subscribe to dogmatic principles centered around the destruction of those different from them. They were merely going about their daily routine – working hard to provide for their families and to build the life they dreamed of.

I believe that what shocked us the most that morning was not the unthinkably diabolical method used to attack us. Or the scope and magnitude of the attacks.

But that – it was our way of life that was attacked.

Our way of life that embraces freedom and democracy.

Our way of life that rewards hard work and perseverance, and yet encourages selflessness and generosity.

Our way of life that recognizes and respects varying opinions in society, and still preserves the rights of all to express those opinions.

Our way of life that allows us to worship freely and to look differently.

The United States of America remains one of the most desirable places on this planet to live; not for our oceans and plains, not for our mountains and rivers, not for our cars and homes and technology. But for our freedom.

The attacks on the morning of September 11 provided us with an ugly, painful reminder of the hatred and evil – the rage and resentment – which resides in the hearts of some.

In the days after September 11, we were left to console the inconsolable.

In the weeks after September 11, we tried to explain the unexplainable.

In the months after September 11, we tried to make sense out of the senseless.

And even today, nine years after September 11, we strive to find hope in the moments of hopelessness that still haunt us.

Shakespeare said that “Everyone can master grief, except he that has it.”

The events of 9/11 affected all of us differently.

I would like to remember 4 EMS providers, (2 EMTS & 2 PARAMEDICS) that gave the

ultimate sacrifice while performing their duties to help and care for the citizens of Lancaster County.

Bruce H. Ditlow & Kevin L. Weatherlow, Paramedics St. Joseph Hospital, Lancaster, PA

On June 13, 1981, Kevin & Bruce were involved in an attempted rescue of a young boy from an abandoned septic tank. The call was routine, but these paramedics were on the scene in three to four minutes. However, Kevin and Bruce were overcome by lethal methane gas as they worked to save the boy and each other. Kevin & Bruce were not only partners on Lancaster Medic – 1 at St. Joseph Hospital; they were best friends since high school.

Bruce had worked at St. Joe’s for 5 years as a Paramedic. He was heavily involved in community CPR training and was an adjunct a faculty member of the Lancaster County Paramedic Training Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Kevin had worked for St. Joe’s for 4 years as a Paramedic and was a Dean’s List Nursing Student at Reading Area Community College. Left behind was Kevin’s wife, Sharon, and daughter, Kristen.

The young boy Bruce & Kevin were trying to save was rescued and recovered from the experience.

Ethel M. Speros, EMT Willow Street Ambulance Assn.

On Monday, November 11, 1988, Ethel’s heroic attempt to rescue an accident victim from his car failed, and she was crushed by a falling wall. The accident victim had lost control of his car and crashed into the front of a house.

Ethel had crawled into the car’s back seat to support the victim’s neck so he could be placed on a backboard. As she worked, the front wall on the second floor of the house collapsed causing tons of bricks to fall on top of the car in which Ethel worked. Without any warning, she was pinned across the back of the front seat. Rescue workers, assisted by the homeowner and his bulldozer, removed Ethel from the wreckage. She was resuscitated and taken to Lancaster General Hospital where she remained for two months before being transferred to a rehabilitation hospital. Unfortunately, Ethel never recovered from the traumatic injury she received during the rescue attempt in l988. She remained bedridden and comatose until her death on March 15, 1991. Left behind were Ethel’s husband Ernest and 3 children, Stephanie, Michelle, and Ernest Jr.

The accident victim Ethel attempted to help was sentenced to 23 months in the Lancaster County Prison for drunk driving.

David A. Sauder, EMT Leola Ambulance Assn.

On February 16, 2007 David died as the result of injuries he sustained when the vehicle he was riding in went out of control on ice-covered roads. He was responding to a Class 1 call. David was a long-time volunteer of Leola Ambulance Service. He also worked for the Bareville Fire Company as an officer & firefighter. David had unimaginable faith; it was shown by the way he lived his life helping others. Left behind were his wife Ruthie, and five children, Karen L.; Lorraine A.; Kathleen D.; and Janelle R.; and one son, David R.

No words, no ceremony, no plaques or stones – no amount of tears – will ever replace the losses. And this memorial cannot replace the losses.

But what this memorial can do is to provide us with a solemn place to remember and mourn, to reflect and to move on, each in our own way.

And let this memorial provide all of us here in Lancaster County with a daily reminder to take nothing for granted. Appreciate our freedoms. Count our blessings. Strive to help our fellow man. And cherish our friends and families.

And let this memorial serve as a reminder of the spirit which burns in all of us – that way of life which makes this the greatest nation on Earth.

Our spirit is defined by our innate ability to reach out and help others, even in times of unthinkable crisis and unfathomable odds.

Just think about the courage of our police officers, firefighters, Paramedics & EMT’s who rush into bad situations every day to protect, save & care for the traveler’s, visitors and citizens of Lancaster County.

Our spirit is defined by our ability to move forward in the aftermath of overwhelming loss, even when it seems easier to quit.

Thank you and God Bless Lancaster County Emergency Responders.