“It was hot. Everyone was gray. You didn’t know who anybody was. There was no white. There was no black. There was no division. There was no right, no left. It was very smoky, very dusty. After six or seven hours working, everybody was just covered in soot. The subway at the bottom was still on fire. There were days we would go through sometimes two sets of turnout gear boots a day because it would just burn the soles off,” Peters recalls.
“Literally, it would break you down. It was non-stop. I never pulled a single person out. I had pieces. Every time it takes a little bit with you.”
It made an impact on him.
When he left, he pledged to then New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani he would never forget and would do everything in his power to make sure others never forget what happened on 9/11.
True to his word, Peters has organized 9/11 remembrance ceremonies locally for the last 25 years.
On Saturday, he organized his final remembrance event.
The Remembering 9/11 Ceremony 25th Annual Tribute took place at the Corbin Civic Center off Gordon Hill in Corbin.
“Today is about remembering. It is about honoring the 2,997 innocent lives, the 343 firefighters, the 60 police officers and the eight EMTs that were taken. It is remembering the families and loved ones, who will forever be changed,” Peters said.
“It is also about remembering the incredible courage, dedication, sacrifice and the unity that followed that incredible day.”
Peters told the firefighters, EMTs, police officers and military members in attendance their presence Saturday meant more to him than words can ever say.
“I have been where you have been,” Peters told first responders. “I have run into the buildings when everybody else is running out. I have walked through the fire. I have signed on the dotted line.”
The event was organized by Peters, his family, and his church, Parkway Ministries in Corbin.
Brock Allen, who is with Parkway Ministries in Corbin, said the church wanted to help support Peters, who is a member there, along with supporting the event.
“It is a great cause. The purpose today is not only to honor those and pay tribute to that tragic event and the families, who lost family members and loved ones in that event, but to also honor first responders in our community. This is an opportunity to bring community together. All the first responder and military organizations, there is a lot more here than people realize,” Allen noted.
“We wanted to bring people together to honor them and educate the community about Sept. 11, 2001. It has been 25 years. I am an older guy. It doesn’t seem like it has been that long ago. There is a lot of people in the community, even first responders, who are 26 or 27 years old or younger, who are putting their life on the line every day to serve their community but really don’t know a lot of about Sept. 11, 2001. This is a way to educate but honor.”
Allen noted shortly after 9/11, America pledged to never forget.
“The theme today is remembrance of what happened on Sept. 11, but to also remember we are a community. We are Americans,” Allen said. “On that day, we said America will never forget. That is what today is about. It is about remembering the events that happened on 9/11. It is also about remembering communities. We are Americans.”
Allen thanked attendees for making the event a priority.
“I want to give a special thank you to all of our first responders in the room and all of our United States military. Those, who are serving, those, who have served, thank you so much. Today is for you,” Allen told the crowd at the start of the event Saturday. “Today is for you. We are here today to honor you and to thank you, and to serve you.”
Certificate of appreciation
Garry Conley presented Peters, who is a retired United States Marine Corps sergeant, with a framed certificate of appreciation for his efforts in organizing the event for the last 25 years.
“With deepest gratitude for your 25 years of exceptional patriotism and selfless dedication. Through your unwavering commitment to hosting annual 9/11 tribute ceremonies, you have faithfully honored the service, sacrifice, and memory of our nation’s military personnel and first responders. Your generosity, leadership and enduring devotion to country and community embodied the highest ideals of service,” the certificate read.
Event organizers took the certificate out of the frame Saturday so military members and first responders in attendance could sign it for Peters.
“Thank you, Brock, and thank you Garry from the bottom of my heart,” Peters said.
Peters announced Saturday’s event would be the last 9/11 remembrance event he was organizing, and he asked Conley and Allen to take over the reins of hosting future events.
The Rockcastle County Honor Guard, which is composed of the VFW and the American Legion, presented the colors toward the start of the event and concluded the event with a 21-gun salute, the playing of taps and the folding of an American flag, which was presented to Allen and Conley.
A PHI Air Medical helicopter was at Saturday’s event before it had to leave on a call. There was also a Kentucky State Police helicopter present in addition to fire trucks from various agencies.
Parkway Ministries Pastor Mark Hisle delivered remarks during the event as did Kentucky State Police Post 11 Commander Capt. Robert Purdy.
Jordan Yaden performed “America the Beautiful,” “Trust in God,” and “Too Good to Not Believe.”
“The Firefighter’s Prayer”
Will Finley-Smith and Esther June, who had plans to be in Indiana later that day for a concert, altered their schedule so they could perform the National Anthem at Saturday’s event.
In addition, Finley-Smith, who is also a volunteer firefighter in Laurel County, performed a song he wrote called, “The Firefighter’s Prayer.” He wrote it after the deadly May 16, 2025, tornado that struck Pulaski and Laurel counties. The EF4 tornado killed over 20 people.
Finley-Smith said he was volunteering at a fire department in East Bernstadt on the night of the tornado and was hanging out there along with a few other young men.
“The alarms started going off. We looked on TV and figured out what was going on,” Finley-Smith said. “We got suited up and did the best we could. There was a lot of stuff that happened. Most of the houses, which weren’t brick, had fallen in. We were digging people out of their homes, which had fallen on top of them. There were a lot of lives lost that day. I couldn’t get that out of my 16-year-old mind. I wrote a song about it called, ‘The Firefighter’s Prayer.”
Where Peters was
Like most Americans, Peters remembers where he was and what he was doing on Sept. 11, 2001, when he found out about the attacks.
Peters was at Levi Jackson State Park with his service dog and his son, who is now an active duty U.S. Marine.
One of the firemen radioed Peters needing him to contact him. The other firefighter told him he needed Peters to get to him fast.
The other firefighter lived right beside Peters. Peters hurried home.
The other firefighter’s grandmother was on her knees praying and sobbing when Peters arrived.
Peters initially did not know what was happening. The other firefighter told him they were under attack.
“Just as I looked up, the second plane flew into the building. When it hit. I dropped to my knees. That is when I said, ‘We are in trouble. We have to do something,’” Peters recalled. “At that moment everybody went on standby.”
