Wasatch County unites for 9/11 Day of Service

Midway resident Rees Jensen remembers the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks not only as an “unthinkable” disaster but as a reminder.

Every day, he said he recalls that he was supposed to be on the plane that hit the first of the towers. Only by chance did he decide to stay in San Francisco, where he lived at the time.

“I received the precious gift of life,” Jensen said. “Each morning we wake up with the time we have been given.”

On Saturday, Jensen and hundreds of Wasatch County residents woke up and chose to serve their community to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11. The tradition goes back more than a decade in Heber City.

Last year, more than 400 residents showed up. Ann Moulton of Just Serve said this year seemed even bigger, with Heber City, Midway City, Wasatch County and area residents putting together a list of community service projects. 

“When they serve, it makes them happy. That’s what I’ve observed,” Moulton said. 

The work included yard work for neighbors in need and park cleanups. Suicide prevention and outreach signs were installed at Deer Creek State Park and at the WOW trailhead. 

At one site, volunteers repaired worn American flags. 

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Denise Harris said, as a veteran and Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program leader, the task hit close to home. Harris said each flag has a varied lifespan depending on its use. 

Flags that line streets for parades, for example, may only last a few months in the elements. American flags are burned when they are retired. It’s the proper way to treat such a symbol with respect, she said. 

There are other ways to recognize the importance of the American flag. One is through the nonprofit Stars For Our Troops. That group preserves embroidered stars from woven flags and sends them to veterans. 

Heber City Manager Matt Brower led the project. He said the 85 flags in need of repair are used throughout the year, but especially during Fourth of July celebrations. 

Bryan Searing, a Heber City resident, drilled holes in new poles before securing new flags and rolling them up securely. Searing said he volunteers year-round with Just Serve. But he said Saturday was an important day to donate his time. 

“It’s a good way to remember,” Searing said. “A good way to feel part of the community.”

At Southfield Park, around 20 volunteers planted trees and installed new benches near the skaters’ pump track. Former Heber City Councilor Scott Phillips led the project. 

Phillips said he developed the idea after driving by Southfield Park and noticing parents lounging in the grass because there weren’t enough places to sit.

Planting new northern red oak and Kentucky coffee trees with members of the Wasatch County Parks and Recreation Department was another part of the project. 

Phillips was joined by his wife, Kristi, and daughter Annie.

Annie acknowledged the Day of Service was a family affair. 

“Always,” she said. 

9/11 happened years before Annie was born, but she remembers learning about the tragedy in school. 

“I really didn’t understand the severity of it at first,” she said. 

Kristi said she feels it’s a responsibility of older generations, who remember the disaster, to teach their kids about the terrorist attack. The Phillips were in New York City the day before the attack. They flew back to Salt Lake City on Sept. 10, 2001. 

“It was that close of a call,” Kristi said. “Just talking to Annie about the severity of it and what the nation felt.”

Annie said she was impressed with the number of people who participated in Saturday’s volunteer event. She said it’s clear that the events of Sept. 11 affected the entire nation. Volunteering is a good way to grieve the losses of that day and remember, she said. 

Kristi agreed. That day united the nation, she said. The Phillips family agreed that volunteering was exactly how they wanted to spend the day.

“We use it as a remembrance,” Kristi said, adding that it’s clear that Heber City remains united 25 years later.