‘Everyone has a story.’ Remembering service, sacrifice on 25th anniversary of 9-11

Military members and 9/11 survivors gathered at the Pa. State Capitol Friday to honor the lives lost and recognize those who have served in the last 25 years.

• Haley O'Brien/WITF
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  Haley O'Brien joined WITF in 2026. A native of Scranton, she enjoys exploring Pennsylvania's diverse communities. Haley previously worked at NPR/PBS stations in Northeast Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley, and has won awards for video storytelling and beat reporting.

On the 25th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the memories of 9/11 are vivid for those who were there. But as the youngest generation exists without their own recollection of the attacks, ceremonies that honor the lives lost — and altered — now also serve to educate the next generation.

Chris Kapp was living in New York in 2001. She was 21 years old.

I worked for the Salvation Army. I ran a mobile kitchen, feeding [the] FDNY, NYPD from the earliest hours of the attacks all the way through until the last column was taken out,” Kapp said, talking about New York’s fire and police departments.

“The person I was at 8:45 on 9-11-2001 died at 8:46,” she said, referring to the time the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

Kapp is a minister. She asked to be transferred out of New York and is now in central Pennsylvania.

She attended the state capitol memorial service Friday for the 25th anniversary of the terror attack that left roughly 3,000 dead and thousands more, including Kapp, with long-lasting health issues.

The ceremony, led by Pennsylvania’s Veterans of Foreign Wars, also commemorated members of the military who have served in U-S conflicts over the last quarter century.

“9-11, and the global war on terror, like every other war in history, has a human side, and everyone has a story to tell,” said Jeff Puckett, Senior Vice Commander of the District 18 VFW.

Jim Brown is the state VFW Commander.

“September 11th was not only a day of loss, it was a day of decision across this Commonwealth and across this great nation. Young men and women, they walked into recruiting offices. They signed their name on the dotted line. They raised their right hand. They went,” Brown said. “They believed that the… attack that morning was worth defending with their own lives.”

Joseph Romanoff, who was also in New York on the day of the attack, was emotional during the ceremony.

“I wish as humans we can learn how to give to each other and help each other not just during dark times but on all times,” Romanoff said. “We don’t know what’s gonna happen when we need to come together again.”

“He hopes sharing stories of coming together after tragedy will inspire compassion in the next generation, Romanoff said.

“Standing among us are young people who were not born on September 11, 2001, or who were small children at that time, too young to understand,” said Brown. “They know the day not from memory, but from the stories.”

Other ceremonies were held around Pennsylvania on Friday, including at the Flight 93 National Memorial Visitor Center in Stoystown, Somerset County, where Gov. Josh Shapiro spoke.