PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — An annual 9/11 ceremony in Oakland County was held outside the sheriff's office on Wednesday. The gathering also honored Michigan law enforcement who died in the line of duty.
“The sights, the sounds, the smells — they’ll never leave you," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.
Exactly 23 years, Bouchard was in New York City responding to the horrific scene left behind after a terror attack on the World Trade Center.
Hear more from Bouchard reflecting on 9/11 in the video player below:
“We got called by New York asking us for help. I was kind of a point person for the biggest sheriff’s office in the country and resources to be deployed to major events, and so I reached out to different people and we led a caravan to Ground Zero," Bouchard said.
Wednesday was also about remembering all the names written on the Michigan Fallen Heroes Memorial.
"I have a hole in my heart," Melvindale Police Officer Mohamed Hacham said. He showed us his partner's name on the wall.
Melvindale Police Officer Mohamed Said was killed in the line of duty in July.
Related video: 'We lost a hero.' Brother of fallen Melvindale officer said 'Mo' loved his community
“It’s something that you can’t train for. It’s something that only the people that were there understand what you’re going through,” Hasham said.
Lauren Hill is also remembering a life lost too soon.
Her father, Patrick Hill, a Detroit police officer, was killed in the line of duty in 2013.
“When it first happens, we think our world is falling apart or that our world has stopped," Lauren Hill said.
Hill received a scholarship from the memorial on Wednesday to continue her education.
“I feel like with resources and scholarships and memorials, it lets us know that life can continue and that as life continues on, we have each other," Lauren Hill said.
Bouchard said he saw that togetherness that Hill spoke of more than two decades ago at Ground Zero.
“Even if they weren’t public safety, they were outside the barricades asking 'how can we help? Can we give you water?' People just wanted to help,” Bouchard said.
9/11, a day of remembering our heroes, is also a day of remembering how we can come together.
