WATCH: San Angelo 9/11 Ceremony Recalls Tragedy and Triumph

SAN ANGELO, TX – The San Angelo Fire Department hosted the annual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony Wednesday morning at the 9/11 memorial by the River Stage downtown. 

Wednesday marks 18 years since terrorists flew planes into the twin towers in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and in a field in Pennsylvania killing almost 3,000 innocent Americans. 

Members of all branches of the military stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base were in attendance along with San Angelo firefighters and police officers.  

Watch video from the ceremony: 

San Angelo Mayor Brenda Gunter noted the crowd was smaller than in years past and that all the children there under 18 weren't alive when the attacks happened.  

Col. Andres R. Nazario, Commander of the 17th Training Wing at Goodfellow AFB was the keynote speaker. 

Col. Nazario recounted a story about a student at Columbia University a few days after the attacks.  A journalist watched the student light a candle that had been lit for a few days.  The journalist asked the student why he was lighting the candle.  The student said, "I don't know.  I just don't want the light to go out."  Col. Nazario said we have an obligation to live up to the words of the Constitution and keep the light of freedom from going out. 

The 9/11 memorial in San Angelo includes a piece of steel from ground zero donated by Rosendo "Rosey' Velez and his family.  Velez was a first responder in New York on 9/11/2001.