Twenty‑five years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, Ventura County residents continue to remember the day that changed the nation. Former teachers, Air Force veterans and community volunteers recount where they were when the towers fell and how the tragedy shaped their lives.
Personal recollections
Carrie Howard, a longtime Thousand Oaks resident, was teaching fifth grade at Cheesequake Elementary School in New Jersey when the first plane struck the North Tower. She recalled a beautiful morning that turned into chaos, and she regrets not comforting her students when school administrators told teachers not to discuss the events.
Her husband, who worked on Fifth Avenue, watched the towers burn from his office window and spent hours trying to return home.
Planning commissioner Mic Farris was in Boston on business just days before the attacks. He later learned that his friend Carl Max Hammond Jr. was aboard Flight 175, which crashed into the South Tower. Farris now visits the 9/11 Memorial in New York each Thanksgiving with his family to honor his lost friend.
Air‑force perspective
Derek Hartman, a Simi Valley native and Air Force KC‑10 flight engineer, was at 23,000 feet over New York on a routine refueling exercise when a plume of smoke appeared. The crew soon realized the nation was under attack. Hartman later helped support fighter aircraft responding to the crisis, noting that tankers are the “tip of the spear” that enable the mission.
He still recalls the shocking television footage of the towers burning and the heartbreaking images of people jumping, scenes that have stayed with him for a quarter‑century.
Community remembrance events
Ventura County schools and organizations are planning a series of solemn ceremonies on September 11. Grace Elementary School in Simi Valley will hold a Remembrance Ceremony honoring first responders at 8:30 a.m. on Friday. The school’s student council will present a small gift to local emergency personnel.
At Pepperdine University in Malibu, a flag‑display ceremony will continue on the campus lawn, while Thousand Oaks High School’s Young Americans for Freedom club will host a smaller flag display.
Each fire station in the county will observe a moment of silence at 6:59 a.m., the exact time the South Tower collapsed, and lower flags to half‑staff.
Legacy of vigilance
These local tributes echo the national “Never Forget” motto, reminding residents to honor those who died and to stay vigilant against future threats. The memories shared by teachers, veterans and friends underscore the lasting impact of the attacks on families and communities across Ventura County.
Original reporting: Thousand Oaks Acorn — read the source article.
