Ceremonies to remember the lives lost on 9/11 took place across Maine on Friday, which marked 25 years since the attacks that shaped the nation’s history.
Mainers gathered in Freeport, Lewiston and other towns and cities to honor the sacrifices made by first responders and remember those who died.
A ceremony took place at the Freeport Public Safety Building, which includes a 9/11 memorial with the original steel beams from the World Trade Center.
Another ceremony took place In Lewiston, where the focus was on educating a generation of adults who were born after that day.
Gov. Janet Mills released a statement, saying in part:
“May we again find inspiration in the collective unity our nation felt in the months after the attacks as we stood together as one.”
While the attacks changed the course of American history, they also forced major changes to the aviation industry.
The two hijackers who flew a plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center that morning boarded a connecting flight to Boston’s Logan Airport at the Portland Jetport.
Jetport Director Paul Bradbury told our info partners at CBS 13 the worker who checked the terrorists in that day still wonders if there’s anything he could have done.
Bradbury says the workers didn’t do anything wrong, emphasizing that security measures in 2001 were much different, with travelers able to move more freely in and out of security.
He said they’ve made significant changes since that day, including having to raise the ceiling height where advanced screening technology was installed.
The attacks also led to the creation of the TSA, as well as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which was overseen in part by Maine Sen. Susan Collins.
Sen. Collins also shared her thoughts on the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
That day, Collins joined a large group of congressional members to sing God Bless America on the Capitol steps.
The moment became one of the most iconic images from that day, symbolizing the nation’s strength and shared grief.
“That was so moving. I remember looking and even the reporters and videographers had tears in their eyes.”
Maine Sen. Angus King, who was the governor of Maine at the time, says it was a “horrendous” day.
King, who serves on the Senate Armed Forces and Select Committee on Intelligence, says America has become laxer about national security over the last five to 10 years.
“There are still people out there who want to kill us, who want to do harm, who want to attack our country,” King said on Friday. “And we’ve got to be conscious, continuously vigilant about that threat.”
