Patriot Day was declared as a day to remember the attack on our nation by our enemies who hate our freedoms and democratic republic form of government. It was established to recognize those who were taken from us by evil people and those who heroically laid down their lives in service to their fellow citizens. First Responders respond to a crisis, they do not react to it. They respond to bring aid to the crisis and those traumatized by it. They respond on purpose, not on accident. They respond intentionally, not by chance. They respond with training and equipment to help improve the situation; they do not come ill prepared to make matters worse. They come with a mission to seek and to save those who are injured and in peril of life to bring comfort and render assistance to their need. They provide a service to the community that not everyone is equipped personally to offer to their neighbor. They arrive to protect the innocent and address the evil in the situation at hand. Many of our fellow Americans died on September 11, 2001. Many of our public servants died in their mission to render aid to a traumatic event in our nation’s history. And many others have died since that day in the military pursuing justice against evil and in the survivors who have died due to toxins they were exposed to on that day. The Bible tells us that we are to show honor to those who are worthy of honor, and today we honor the brave men and women who serve our communities as First Responders. Thank you for your service to make our communities safer, more peaceful, and offer us security to enjoy living in the place we call home. Thank you for your willingness to serve and to go to the tragedies that many run from or are paralyzed emotionally by when they happen. Thank you for being willing to help us in our time of need. To each and every law enforcement, fire service, military, EMS, medical, search and rescue personnel and their families, we want you to know that we support you in prayer for your service and we appreciate the sacrifices your service requires of you. We pray for the families who have lost their loved ones in service, and we will never forget the ultimate sacrifice made in laying down their life in service to others.