Punta Gorda honors lives lost on 9/11

Many gathered nationwide to remember and commemorate the thousands of lives lost on 9/11.

On Wednesday, some gathered at Punta Gorda’s Shorepoint Health Hospital for a morning ceremony featuring officers, community members and survivors.

Moments of silence were taken for the lives lost. Stories were shared, and tears were shed as speakers recalled memories of their family, friends or coworkers who died in the attack.

The chaplain of Shorepoint Punta Gorda and Punta Gorda Fire Department, Carlo Gargiulo, closed his speech with a message for everyone to remember.

“During 9/11, there were no whites, there were no Blacks, there were no Hispanics, there were no Republicans, there were no Democrats. We were all Americans. There were flags flying everywhere; it was a time of unity for our country,” Gargiulo said.

The annual ceremony went from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., also including banners of all the officers and firefighters whose lives were lost in the attack.