DeKalb County Remembers 9/11

A single firefighter and his idea came to fruition this morning. DeKalb County officials unveiled a 9/11 Memorial in front of the county’s Public Safety Headquarters at 1960 West Exchange Place in Tucker on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. That DeKalb firefighter, Doug Harms, spent the better part of this year relentlessly spearheading the memorial effort.

He couldn’t have done it alone. Ex-Marine and professional sculptor C.J. Miller provided a sculpture of a steel phoenix behind a large steel piece from one of the fallen World Trade Center towers. Numerous businesses helped with fundraising and materials donations and sweat equity was provided by many people associated with DeKalb.  

The headquarters’ visitor parking lot filled up quickly after 7 a.m. as about a thousand attended today’s remembrance ceremony. “I’m here to support my son-in law. He’s a policeman for DeKalb County and he’s in the honor guard (today),” said Greg Williams of Alpharetta. Nearby resident Terry Tucker said he wanted to be present simply to remember firefighters and police.  

The ceremony included a pledge of allegiance and firefighter’s prayer from Mike Korsch. Now living in Acworth, Ga., the now-retired Korsch and his Brooklyn police unit arrived at the World Trade Center site just as the second tower collapsed. He is fighting a throat cancer attributed to the dust and debris in the air in that part of Manhattan from the 9/11 attacks.  

DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis noted the bravery of the 343 firefighters, 60 police officers and eight EMTs who perished in the 9/11 attacks. “There is no greater example of this courage than the men and women who make great sacrifices for our safety here at home each and every day,” said Ellis.

This monument was brought up by one of our firefighters Doug Harms,” said DeKalb Fire/Rescue Chief Eddie O’Brien. “He (Harms) took the project on and as the leader of this department, there’s nothing more invigorating than to see citizens come together – private companies, public works and the police department all worked together for a common cause.”

Fittingly, Harms was part of a group of four first responders who placed the World Trade Center steel piece in front of the memorial sculpture early in the ceremony. Afterward, he posed for photos with his family and accepted congratulations from numerous attendees. Overcome with emotion at the successful conclusion of his efforts, Harms had difficulty talking.

DeKalb Chief of Police William O’Brien may have summed it up best. “My initial thoughts (on hearing of the memorial project) were where do we begin and how on earth do we get this done,” he said. O’Brien pointed out that the unity, resource-sharing and support for the DeKalb 9/11 memorial represented how the United States moved forward from that tragic day ten years ago.