Community reflects on Sept. 11 attacks

NEWBERRY COUNTY — The morning of September 11, 2001 started out like any other day. People around the world were waking up, taking kids to school and making the early morning commute to work. The events that would unfold later that morning would change our country forever.

The Newberry Observer reached out to a few leaders across Newberry to reflect on where they were that day 24 years ago.

Hugh Gray, executive director of Westview Behavioral Health Services, was working for the Newberry School District a few weeks prior to the attacks.

“Greg Mack, head of operations, and I were both still in Reserve service. Greg was in the Navy Reserves and I in the Army. When we realized this was a coordinated attack, we both scrambled to contact our respective units to find out about possible mobilizations. That was a little premature. My mobilization wouldn’t come for another 16 months,” he said.

But the biggest memory for Gray about that day was that it was the day his son was brought home from the hospital.

“He had been born the weekend prior and his mom had told me to go home the night before so I could get a few things ready. As I sped down the interstate, I was trying to calculate the distance from Columbia Metro Airport to the hospital and how likely a hospital may be as a target. I remember holding this tiny little baby and wondering what kind of world we had brought him into,” Gray said.

Newberry Middle School Principal Zeb Reid was a senior at Newberry College completing his student teaching requirements.

“I’ll never forget the moment the news broke. We were all glued to the TV in disbelief. Students and teachers alike watched in stunned silence as the events unfolded. It was a moment that changed the world and one that deeply impacted me both personally and professionally,” he said.

Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster was on his way to work after an early morning meeting when his supervising dispatcher Terri Lawson called him on the radio and said he needed to come to the office right away.

“Upon arrival, she told me a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. I had a small TV in my office and turned it on to the Today Show when the second plane flew into the other tower. We then started getting information about the Pentagon and Pennsylvania. At that moment, I knew we were under attack, but by whom,” he said.

The world as we knew it changed, Foster said. While serving as President of the SC Sheriffs’ Association, he was appointed to the State Homeland Security Commission, which he served on for many years.

“I was fortunate to participate in many of the plannings for security measures we have today and how we investigate terrorism. Because of the planning and training that came about from this terrible incident, we were better prepared to respond to other disasters like floods, tornados, and hurricanes,” Foster said. “Unfortunately, time has a way of fading memories. We should never forget what happened that day and continue to be vigilant for acts of terrorism. I also think you cannot have homeland security without hometown security, and we should place our safety at the forefront of our government services.”

Jackie Holmes, City of Newberry Councilwoman and long-time educator, was teaching kindergarten at Speers Street Elementary on Sept. 11.

“The attack happened at 8:46 a.m. and by the time we got the word, it was lunch time. I was extremely shocked, hurt and in disbelief because I was an active member of the US Army Reserve. I told my colleagues, ‘You all best believe, that America has been changed forever, and military soldiers will be deployed, and having to leave their families.’ I went on active duty to support my country and that’s where I was able to give back to my country some of the things that were taken on that day like love, kindness and long hours of work. I have since visited Ground Zero, but at the time was unable to complete the tour.”

Not far down the road, Prosperity Police Chief Wesley Palmore was patrolling the hallways of Newberry Middle School as a School Resource Officer with the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office. Palmore was also serving as an Infantry Officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard at the time.

“I remember walking past the assistant principal’s office and seeing the image of planes crashing into the Twin Towers on the television monitor. I recall the concerns and disbelief among others as they tried to process what had happened. I called our School Resource Officers, who assured me they were remaining vigilant. Like so many others, I found myself glued to the television, watching as the tragic reality unfolded and learning that our country was under a terrorist attack,” Palmore said.

Palmore said in that moment, he felt an overwhelming desire to defend the United States of America against these foreign terrorists that killed so many people.

“At that time, I didn’t realize that my life as a citizen-soldier was about to change forever. Years later, when our country called, I proudly deployed to Afghanistan on a combat mission as an embedded tactical trainer, and help train the Afghan police and military forces fight in this Global War against Terrorism. That day in 2001 left a lasting impact, shaping both my personal life, my law enforcement and military careers in which I will never forget.”