Clinton Township

Local soldiers keynote Sept. 11 observance

By Nico Rubello
C & G Staff Writer

» click to enlarge « Photo by Deb Jacques Local residents gathered for a Patriot Day observance on Sept. 11 at Resurrection Cemetery. Photo by Deb Jacques Local residents gathered for a Patriot Day observance on Sept. 11 at Resurrection Cemetery. Photo by Deb Jacques Joseph Rinehart, a Clinton Township resident and battalion chief for the Detroit Fire Department, salutes during the Pledge of Allegiance. 0 Photo by Deb Jacques Wyatt Billings, 11, of Sterling Heights, prays for the nation during an invocation led by Pastor Mark Reynolds from Bethany Baptist Church. 1

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Eleven years later and hundreds of miles away from the sites of the Sept. 11 attacks, the tragedies of that day still were fresh in the minds of locals during a recent commemoration.

Flapping military flags at Resurrection Cemetery’s veterans memorial provided a backdrop as two military personnel, both of whom completed tours overseas since Sept. 11, 2001, emphasized the service of the men and women of the armed forces and police, fire and emergency response departments.

The annual Patriot Day observance, which lasted roughly an hour, was punctuated for the first time with a candle-lighting ceremony.

“That day was the first day of a changed America. Never before had we experienced a terrorist attack of such magnitude,” said Michigan Army National Guardsman Peter Bailey. “Many firefighters and police officers who ran into harm’s way to help those in trouble perished when one tower, then the other, collapsed. Since then, many service members in the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force have been killed, or returned home maimed. Every one of these men and women put themselves in harm’s way to protect our freedoms.”

Bailey, a Clinton Township firefighter since 1994, shared his experiences both as a firefighter and as a helicopter pilot deployed overseas. From his time as a soldier, he recounted close calls in zero-visibility dust storms, near collisions with other U.S. aircraft and escaping heat-seeking missiles.

“We flew almost every day, it seemed,” he said. “Contrary to what I told my wife, there was a lot of risk. I quickly learned that I had to lie to my wife a lot. I really don’t like lying to my wife. But when she would ask me if I was in any danger, I knew the answer she would be given was, ‘Of course not,” instead of, ‘A rocket-propelled grenade just missed us last night.’”

Army Mjr. Anthony Leach served as a tank platoon leader after he was deployed to Kuwait in the weeks following Sept. 11.

“This was a life-changing experience for me,” he said. “At the time, I had been in the Army for about 13 years and had never experienced anything like this.”

Leach also served as part of the logistics effort in 2004-05, helping coordinate the troops with supplies.

He recounted how Americans came together following the attack, regardless of race, creed, culture or religion.

“Do you remember what you were doing?” he asked. “As the years slowly go by, many forget what happened or what they were doing.”

Like many that morning, John Zeldam and his wife were glued to the TV as he readied for a business appointment in Clinton Township.

“When I left for my appointment, like at 10 o’clock or something, it was just like we were numb,” said Zeldam, now 73, of Macomb Township. “It seemed like whatever business that day I had to conduct was just so irrelevant, so meaningless with the horror that had just taken place.”

Joe Rinehart, a battalion chief for the Detroit Fire Department, usually finds himself in New York City on Sept. 11. He and about 20 other Detroit firefighters usually make the trip to Ground Zero every year to commemorate the day.

This year, however, the 59-year-old Clinton Township resident attended the Clinton Township observation. For him, the massive loss of first-responder personnel inside the World Trade Center hits home, he said.

“I think a lot of people have gotten complacent again,” he said. “I think about (Sept. 11) almost every day — just from being a firefighter and seeing the devastation.”

The honor guard from the Clinton Township Police Department was on hand for the observance, as was Senior Master Sgt. Mark Kaufmann from Selfridge Air National Guard base, who led the crowd in singing the national anthem, “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America.”

Vietnam veteran Lorenzo Garrisi led the Pledge of Allegiance. Pastor Mark Reynolds from Bethany Baptist Church additionally offered invocations.

Township Treasurer Bill Sowerby and trustees Ken Pearl and Joie West also in attendance, and Supervisor Robert Cannon emceed the event.

“Our differences are enormous, but so is our ability to bridge those differences,” Cannon said. “This is a community and a nation of people who care about each other.”

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Nico Rubello at nrubello@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1118.