DETAILS: Champaign County family fights for peace since daughter’s 9/11 death
Alicia Titus, a Champaign County native and Graham High School graduate, died while working as a flight attendant on one of the planes that hit the World Trade Center towers during the attacks. Freedom Grove includes a memorial to Titus.
Craig Bennett, of Urbana, attended the event Monday morning. It’s important to respect those who defended America’s freedoms, he said.
“We want to show all of our support for those veterans who were killed in action,” Bennett said. “We are here to support them and let them know Champaign County is here and are supporting them. We support all of our first responders and everyone from that day.”
He said he hopes the tradition of gathering at the Freedom Grove continues for a long time.
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“It’s a way to give back and to never forget,” he said. “This is kind of like going to Arlington (Cemetery in Washington, D.C.). You are on a sacred ground out here.”
John Winters traveled from Van Wert, Ohio, to attend the gathering this year. He said he has made the trip over the past three years because remembering those who died is important to him.
“We are here to pay our respects for everyone killed in the towers,” he said.
Winters, a veteran of the Army, hopes people continue to remember what happened on Sept. 11 and show respect for those who lost their lives.
“A lot of people are forgetting,” he said. “As times go on, it’s important they remember. It’s starting to fade out. They should never forget what happened.”
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