Photo by Deb Gau Marshall Public Safety Director Jim Marshall, who participates yearly in the Sept. 11 memorial, stands next to the World Trade Center beam that stands at the center of the 9-11 memorial at Memorial Park in Marshall.

MARSHALL — For more than a decade, the 9/11 memorial in Marshall’s downtown has been a spot that draws people for quiet reflection. It’s also the place where each year, area residents gather to commemorate the lives lost on September 11, 2001.

“It’s been meaningful. It’s an event that, when you have it, you realize how important it is to people,” said Marshall Public Safety Director Jim Marshall. Marshall is one of the local officials who has taken part in the memorial program each fall.

Marshall community members will be gathering once more, at 10 a.m. on Thursday, September 11, at Memorial Park. Jim Marshall said the guests at the program will include Rev. Greg Pavek, Elly Sprik, and Minnesota state Sen. Jeff Howe.

Howe, R-Rockville, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s memorial event. Howe said he has a strong interest in 9/11, because of the ways it has impacted the lives of Americans.

“Our world here in the U.S. totally changed,” Howe said. “I remember exactly where I was on Highway 23, when I heard about the first plane going into the (World Trade Center) towers.”

Howe has a background both as a firefighter and in the military, which also impacted his experiences. Howe served tours in Iraq with the Army National Guard. Some of the soldiers under his command had joined the National Guard because of the 9/11 terror attacks, he said.

When Howe’s unit came back from Iraq in 2006, he also saw the struggles of veterans trying to get back to work in the midst of an economic downturn.

“That’s what drove me to run for the Legislature, was veterans’ issues,” he said. Howe went on to serve three terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives, and was elected to the Senate in a 2018 special election.

Howe said 9/11 also showed him the importance of the issues and job hazards faced by emergency responders like firefighters and law enforcement. “We need to address what they deal with every day,” he said.

There was another reason it was important to take time to remember 9/11, Howe said. “I think it’s very important to remember that day, because if we’re not paying attention, it will happen again,” he said. “We’re all in this together, and we need to pay attention to each other.”

Marshall said it’s been meaningful to see the number of people who come to the local 9/11 remembrances over the years, and the people who have been part of the program.

“We’ve always had people willing to step up to the plate,” Marshall said.

The creation of both the 9/11 memorial and Memorial Park were made possible with the efforts of Marshall area community members. It all started with an opportunity for the city of Marshall to have a piece of metal beam from the World Trade Center to use in a memorial. Local service groups, businesses and residents helped raise funds to create the Memorial Park display. The beam stands at the center of the memorial, surrounded by stones that represent the lives lost in the 9/11 terror attacks.

Jim Marshall said he hoped the community would continue to come to the memorial, and take time to remember the impact of 9/11.

“It’s a beautiful park, and hopefully we can keep that momentum going,” he said.

U.S. Navy as an avionics technician. Howe was deployed to Iran during the Iranian hostage crisis, and later served two tours in Iraq. Howe retired from the Minnesota Army National Guard in 2017, after 38 years of service.

In addition to his military service, Howe spent 27 years as a firefighter, serving on three different departments, the biography said.

Howe served three terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives, and was elected to the Senate in a 2018 special election. The biography said as a legislator, Howe has focused on issues related to public safety and veterans.

Marshall said it’s been meaningful to see the number of people who come to the local 9/11 remembrances over the years, and the people who have been part of the program.

“We’ve always had people willing to step up to the plate,” Marshall said.

The creation of both the 9/11 memorial and Memorial Park were made possible with the efforts of Marshall area community members. It all started with an opportunity for the city of Marshall to have a piece of metal beam from the World Trade Center to use in a memorial. Local service groups, businesses and residents helped raise funds to create the Memorial Park display. The beam stands at the center of the memorial, surrounded by stones that represent the lives lost in the 9/11 terror attacks.

Jim Marshall said he hoped the community would continue to come to the memorial, and take time to remember the impact of 9/11.

“It’s a beautiful park, and hopefully we can keep that momentum going,” he said.