HONESDALE, Pa. — When people passing by the Wayne County Courthouse in Honesdale heard the familiar notes of Taps being played, many of them felt compelled to stop and listen.
But Rosella Scull was already here, remembering that day 20 years ago.
"I happened to be an employee in this very building on that day, and I'll never forget it. The girl across the hall in the office came running in, and she said, 'Do you have your radio on? There's a disaster, a disaster. Planes are going into the towers.' I'll never forget it."
A group of people gathers outside the 9/11 memorial in Honesdale every year to pay their respects to the fallen. But for many, this year feels more significant than ever.
Two decades later, there are now so many Americans who have no memories of that fateful day. Victoria Wargo, Wayne County Director of Veterans Affairs, says, as time passes, memorials and ceremonies like this one become even more important for that very reason.
"They were born after 9/11; they're not aware that we used to walk through airports with our shoes on and our full bottle of shampoo. Their world is completely different from the one that we grew up in."
One by one, neighbors here in Honesdale took a moment to stop in front of the memorial, reflect, and remember.