 In remembrance of those who have fallen, Pikeville's First Responders Day will take place this Saturday, September 11th, at 11 a.m. Thursday we spoke with Public Information Officer Tony Kahn about the event and the importance of officers within the community. This is a bad day as well. I think it's very important. Like I said, we've got to keep their memory alive. A hero remembered is never forgotten. And we've got to make sure that the generation that didn't, wouldn't around at that time, like my son, knows what sacrificed these guys made and these ladies and gentlemen made. They didn't think twice. And, you know, they're heroes and we want to make sure that that's what we keep their memory alive. And we want this generation to know that, you know, that's a big thing. These people service above self. And that means that, hey, you know, I'm going to do my job and I'm going to rescue you if it means I'm going to lose my life. And they need to know that. As part of First Responders Day, local leaders will join in front of the Pikeville Police Department for a moment of prayer. Later, Kahn shared his memory of 9-11. I remember the day well. I remember what I was doing. I had worked night shift. And I had seen them. I didn't see the first plane strike, one of the towers. But I was able to watch the news and watch the second plane hit. And I remember getting a call from our chief at the time. I worked in another department and he told us all, go fill your cars up with the gas and fill the pool cars up with the gas. And meet me at the police station. So we had a big meeting. We were watching the news just like everybody else. It's a big community. It's a tight-knit community. Police officers and firemen, of course. I always said that whether we lose an officer here or they lose an officer in California or New York or whatever, the country loses the officer. Such as the department's loss of Scotty Hamilton in 2018, Kahn says it's important to keep the memory alive. If it happened for them, the loss of life, the body count, the loss of life would have been much greater. But they evacuated lots of people, a lot of people from those places. Of course, there was whole precincts that lost everybody. So it's a terrible loss for us. I still remember the day it happened. I remember what I was doing. And it's a terrible thing. But as long as we keep it alive and keep it remembering what they sacrificed their lives for, then they're not going to be forgotten. For Mount Top News, I'm Joel Hodgell.