On Friday, Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger and the Chattanooga Area Regents Council, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution commemorated a defining moment in national and local history, 9/11. The Chattanooga Area Regents Council is comprised of the leaders of Chattanooga’s five NSDAR chapters: Chickamauga Chapter, Nancy Ward Chapter, Judge David Campbell Chapter, Chief John Ross Chapter and Moccasin Bend Chapter and each chapter observes the three major goals of the NSDAR, education, historic preservation and patriotism.
The council reminds us that “On September 11, 2001, the national and world attention turned to New York City, Washington, DC and rural Pennsylvania as the horror of the day unfolded. In Hamilton County, individuals and families gathered before their televisions as the news of a terrorist attack on our nation spread quickly. Business and civic meetings were suspended. School leaders called special assemblies where the news was shared and parents arrived to gather their children. The memories of the fear, the spontaneous prayer groups and the unchecked tears will remain with us. The reality is that few who were over the age of five will ever forget where they were when they heard the news; for the 21st century, 9/11 would become the emotional touchpoint that the Kennedy assassination and Pearl Harbor had been for earlier generations. ‘We will not Forget’ has become a familiar refrain as we mourn the deaths of the almost 3000 people killed during the attack by nineteen militant extremists.”
Mayor Coppinger, in the 9/11 Proclamation, noted, “Whereas, I, Jim Coppinger, Mayor of Hamilton County, join the Chattanooga Regents Council, Daughters of the American Revolution, in honoring the memories of the souls lost on September 11, 2001, and paying tribute to all of the patriots who have sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom. We pray for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen currently serving our Nation in harm’s way. We thank the dedicated men and women who keep our homeland safe and secure. We pray for peace and the preservation of our nation’s ideals of liberty, equality and justice for all.”
The Chattanooga Area Regents Council members are Susan H. Harris, Chickamauga Chapter Regent, Linda Crawford, Nancy Ward Chapter Regent, Marie Wingate, Judge David Campbell Regent, Linda Moss Mines, Chief John Ross Regent and Jan Miller Elliott, Moccasin Bend Regent.