A quarter of a century after the catastrophic terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, community members gathered in Mohnton, Pennsylvania, to pay tribute to the lives lost and honor the courage of first responders. The annual remembrance ceremony commenced precisely at 8:46 a.m., marking the exact minute the first hijacked airliner struck the World Trade Center and altered the nation forever.
Standing beside the dedicated memorial outside the Berks Military History Museum and Holocaust Museum and Education Center, Pennsylvania State Rep. Mark Gillen reflected on the harrowing events of that day. Gillen, who established the Mohnton institution over a decade ago, carried profound personal memories of traveling directly toward the disaster zone when the tragedy unfolded.
Recalling the morning of the disaster, Gillen described the swift transition from initial confusion to absolute shock that gripped citizens across the country. The initial strike appeared to many observers as a dreadful aviation mishap, but the impact of the second aircraft instantly erased any doubt, revealing to the entire world that the United States had suffered a deliberate and coordinated attack.
That sudden reality left millions feeling paralyzed by fear and uncertainty, yet Gillen felt a compelling obligation to assist. Drawing on his background as a trained interior firefighter, certified emergency medical technician, and former officer in university policing and corrections, he realized he possessed the necessary training to contribute to the unfolding emergency response.
Determined to lend a hand, Gillen borrowed protective turnout gear from an acquaintance at the local Mohnton fire company. Without a clear picture of what awaited him in New York, he entered his vehicle and headed eastward along Interstate 78 to offer his services on the front lines.
As he approached the metropolitan region, highway electronic message boards flashed ominous warnings notifying motorists that New York was entirely shut down. The unprecedented nature of the assault had thrown standard transit and emergency protocols into uncharted territory, leaving authorities to manage an evolving crisis with no prior playbook.
Relying on his official emergency and law enforcement credentials, Gillen navigated several security checkpoints established by police personnel. His persistent journey eventually brought him to Jersey City, New Jersey, where emergency crews were attempting to coordinate access across the Hudson River amid continuous boat traffic.
Gillen managed to board a harbor tugboat crossing the water into Manhattan, successfully reaching the disaster zone. Upon arrival, he coordinated with local response coordinators and was promptly assigned to assist a specialized search-and-rescue canine handler tasked with combing through the rubble for survivors through the night of Sept. 11 and into the following morning.
The sheer scale of destruction at ground zero proved far more catastrophic than any photographs or broadcast images could capture. Gillen recounted navigating through shattered landscapes where emergency vehicles were crushed, pulverized, and overturned, underscoring the lethal perils confronted by rescue workers who had rushed toward danger.
Throughout the exhausting nighttime search, responders placed markers to identify human remains amidst the wreckage. The staggering scope of casualties was particularly heavy among emergency personnel, with 343 New York City firefighters ultimately perishing in the collapse of the towers while attempting to save building occupants.
Gillen witnessed surviving firefighters toiling tirelessly under nearly impossible physical conditions, desperately digging through tons of tangled structural steel, pulverized building materials, and shattered office equipment. Whenever responders unearthed a discarded helmet, identification card, or personal item linked to a missing colleague, their determination to reach their fallen comrades intensified despite the overwhelming devastation.
Those enduring impressions from ground zero later inspired Gillen to incorporate the Global War on Terror into the Berks Military History Museum, which he established in 2014 inside the historic 1873 Cyrus D. Hornberger Wagon Works building located on Main Street.
After navigating an extensive administrative process that took roughly a year, Gillen succeeded in 2016 in acquiring significant historical artifacts from the site. Among them was a massive 600-pound segment of train track rail from the Port Authority station situated beneath the twin towers, severely bent and deformed by the tremendous weight of the falling skyscrapers.
With the logistical assistance of Trans Logistics of Birdsboro, the warped rail was transported to the museum. During the retrieval process, Gillen also secured an original directional sign from World Trade Center Five that was destined to be discarded as the artifact storage facility prepared for permanent closure, an item that is currently in offsite storage pending future exhibition.
Surveying the national landscape twenty-five years after the catastrophe, Gillen noted a stark contrast between the profound unity that immediately followed the tragedy and the cultural divisions visible today. In the autumn of 2001, public prayer was commonplace and American flags were completely sold out throughout Berks County as citizens recognized their shared vulnerability across state lines.
Gillen expressed concern that contemporary public discourse has increasingly shifted toward treating political opponents as domestic adversaries. He cautioned that losing sight of foundational national cohesion distracts the country from confronting immense geopolitical challenges, emphasizing that annual memorials serve as an enduring reminder of resilience, service, and collective strength.
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