9/11 observances take many shapes in North Myrtle Beach

Dozens of retired New York City firefighters filed solemnly into mass at Our Lady Star Of The Sea Catholic Church in North Myrtle Beach Thursday morning, just about exactly 7 years after the first plane struck the first World Trade Center tower in New York.

Al Jaccard, who has been retired from FDNY and living in Horry County for over 30 years, remembers exactly where he was when he heard about the attacks.

“We were playing at Bay Tree (golf course) when we heard about it,“ he said. “We all met back here at the church, and we cried.“

Tears we shed Thursday as the firefighters, in full dress uniform, filled the first few rows of the chruch.

“It’s the least we could do for all those people that gave their lives so others could live,“ Jaccard said.

Just up the road, members of the North Myrtle Beach and Little River Lions Clubs, along with other organizations, including the Blue Star Mothers, lined overpasses on Highways 17 and 9 to wave flags, to the delight of passing traffic.

“This shows pride in our community,“ said Dalton Thompson of the Little River Lions Club. “It’s spreading to other groups, and (it’s starting) to bring some pride into individual communities,“ he said.

Thompson said the Lions Club in Aynor was also adding the bridge event this year.