Dave Soto spent his entire career as a fire­fighter, helping and saving the lives of others. But it was the actions of ordinary citizens turned heroes on Sept. 11, 2001, that brought him to tears.

Soto, the president of the Sedona Fire District Governing Board, was one of a handful of speakers at SFD Station 6 on Saturday, Sept. 11, during a 20th anniversary memorial of that fateful day.

In May, Soto and his wife, Virginia, visited the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pa. After terrorists crashed two airlines into the World Trade Center and another into the Pentagon, Flight 93 was supposed to crash into the Capitol building before passengers over­took the hijackers prior to it crashing. Since then, that location has become a 2,200-acre national park, honoring those lives lost that day and the heroism displayed.

“As I drove through the entrance, a very humbling somber sense came over me,” he told the audi­ence of around 100. “My driving speed slowed, my eyes widened and my breathing became shallow, perhaps because I realized I was driving on sacred grounds in a very, very special place.”

As they walked toward the visitor center, which is placed directly below the final path of Flight 93, he noticed an etched glass sign that states, “An ordi­nary field one day, a place of honor forever.”

As the Sotos walked through the visitor center, they took time to look at the various artifacts of the crash and its timeline. Visitors can don a headset and listen to calls being made from the flight passengers to their loved ones for the very last time.

“I stood there, leaning against a wall, head down as tears welled up, which I tried to hold back,” he said. “I was listening to the voices to loved ones one final time. As I wiped the tears from my cheeks, I came upon the last display. It was of gifts from local schoolchildren — draw­ings, paintings and letters — and above that display, once again the quote I saw just moments before.”

Not only was Soto moved by that quote but even more so when he saw who said it, Steven J. Ruda of the Los Angeles Fire Department. He said it stopped him in his tracks as he felt a sense of pride. In the late 1970s, Soto was assigned to a new station in Los Angeles and there he met a new recruit, who Soto was asked to oversee. It was Ruda.

“This was the connection that had come full circle for me that had taken 43 years,” he said. “To see his quote up there, I couldn’t have been more proud.”

Sedona Police Chief Charles Husted said he was honored to speak and was pleased by the turnout of not only the public but first responders from around the Verde Valley to remember the 2,977 individuals who died 20 years earlier. He said it’s one of those days that is etched in the minds of anyone old enough to remember where they were and what they were doing that day.

For some, Husted said time has not healed the wounds as a result of that day and the emotions are still raw two decades later. But he added that today, Americans need to unite as they did following the attacks.

“Our challenge to us and our society this morning is to recall and harness the strength of those intense emotions that we felt as a result of the attacks on 9/11,” he said. “To remember how we came together as Americans regardless of any differ­ences and use that common energy to move beyond the extensive divisiveness and polarization that has pulled us apart. We must come together as a nation.”

He went on to add, “We honor those killed on Sept. 11, 2001, the brave souls who lost their lives trying to save others on that horri­fying day, and those lives still impacted and lost on this day as a result of 9/11. We must never forget.”

Sedona Fire Chief Jon Trautwein was the last to speak and said it’s hard to believe that 20 years had already gone by. He also praised the memorial at Station 6, which gives people a place to remember, reflect and pay their respects.

The thought shared by many during the ceremony, which was echoed by Husted, was “We will never forget.” Trautwein broke down each word and what each means indi­vidually and collectively. He also talked about how the country has over­come adversity over the years like wars, economic depression, natural disas­ters, civil unrest of public upheaval.

“Today what I’d like to charge each and every one of us is to remember the sacrifice, determina­tion, grit, perseverance and resilience that characterize the American people to overcome and establish our strengths and good­will following the most horrendous terrorist act in history,” he said.