I know exactly what I was doing 19 years ago today. I was in bed and the phone rang. It was my mother (always calm, cool, and collected about everything) telling me to get out of bed and get dressed because we were under attack.

You take something like that seriously when the largest voice of reason in your existence says it, so I did.

I turned on the TV and, well, you know the rest. The towers were burning. We got word about the Pentagon and then United Airlines Flight 93 and we were off and running into a whole new world.

Everything changed. Everyone came together. And we spent the next several weeks glued to news report after news report looking for every scrap of information about what had happened and who was responsible.

And one aspect of the tragedy of 9/11 that everyone remembers is the heroes who had always been in our lives but came into full focus that week (it happened on a Tuesday) and for the many weeks thereafter.

First responders was a term very few of us were using up until that point, but it's become one of our most common by now.

Every year, we remember their bravery that day. But everyday, we're reminded of their importance in all of our lives.

On Friday, the First Responders Memorial--which honors firefighters, the Daviess County Sheriff's Department, the Owensboro Police Department, and emergency medical services--was dedicated on the lawn of the courthouse in downtown Owensboro.

We absolutely will never forget.

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NEVER FORGET: Images from 9/11 and the days after

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