Mountain Home will honor the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with a remembrance ceremony at 4 p.m. Monday at Veterans Plaza. Central to the event is a steel artifact from the Twin Towers, part of a memorial dedicated in 2022. The public is invited to attend.
John Ceriello, a retired captain of FDNY Rescue 1, will serve as the event’s guest speaker. Ceriello, a 37-year veteran of the department, responded to the World Trade Center with Squad 18 in Manhattan’s West Village on September 11, 2001. The ceremony has been organized by Mountain Home firefighter Tommy Feliccia, who previously helped bring the steel artifact to Baxter County for the 20th anniversary in 2021.
The steel piece was obtained through the efforts of retired FDNY Capt. Joseph Russo, Feliccia’s uncle. Following a formal request to the FDNY commissioner, the 50-pound section of steel was transported to Mountain Home, where it remained in storage for eight months while a memorial was built to house it. Bill and Jenn Wikoff of Springfield, Illinois, created the monument from a sketch Feliccia designed, completing the project free of charge.
The monument features the steel suspended between six-foot concrete pillars shaped like the Twin Towers. Its base is inscribed with “Never Forget,” and additional details commemorate the attack sites at the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The pillars also bear etched memorials to Vincent "Vinny" Feliccia, a New York firefighter and Russo’s brother-in-law, as well as Russo’s role in bringing the steel to Arkansas. Russo spoke movingly of his experiences at Ground Zero during the 2021 observance.
Monday’s ceremony will also include a dinner for Baxter County first responders and their families at the Mountain Home Community Center starting around 6 p.m. Feliccia coordinated funding for the meal through local sponsorships, following the same approach as the 2021 anniversary commemoration. Speaking about the significance of the gathering, Feliccia said, “It kind of strengthened bonds. We don’t get to see each other very much other than like when you need us.”
Ceriello will remain in Mountain Home an additional day to lead a class for firefighters on Tuesday, September 12. Hosted by IAFF Local 4496, the eight-hour course will cover evidence-based fire operations and Fire Safety Research Institute protocols. It will include lessons on managing wind-impacted fires, basement fires, and high-rise emergencies. Firefighters from across the state, including from Springdale, Jonesboro, and Little Rock, are expected to attend.
The 25th anniversary observance will conclude with Mountain Home's annual stair climb at Bomber Stadium at 8:46 a.m. on Friday, September 11. The climb reflects the 110 floors of the Twin Towers and honors the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks, including 343 firefighters and 72 police officers who died in New York City.
Those interested in attending the free firefighting class on September 12 can RSVP by calling 870-425-2611 or emailing tfeliccia@mountainhomear.gov.