The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the failed attempt of the hijacked Flight 93 has forever changed lives, not only in New York and Wash., D.C. The actions of those few terrorists also touched hundreds of thousands of lives in Antelope Valley.

“I think initially everybody was afraid because we have Edwards Air Force Base out here,” said Jan Ramsey. “But the Valley came together.”

Lancaster City Councilman Marvin Crist agreed.

“It brought us together,” Crist said during a special remembrance ceremony for Fallen Heroes Sunday morning.

Palmdale City Councilman Steve Hofbauer noted the large number of fire fighters, sheriff’s deputies, police and California Highway Patrol officers and other safety personnel that live and work in the Valley.

“Remembering that, drives the terrorist attack home and makes it more personal,” Hofbauer said.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Captain Bobby Denham of the Palmdale Station led Sunday’s ceremony honor those who gave their lives on 9/11 as well as 13 local men and one woman who gave their lives protecting citizens in Antelope Valley throughout the years.

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 “Despite our differences and the diversity in Antelope Valley, we are all Americans,” said Denham, who was the Watch Commander on duty on that fateful day.

“The Watch Deputy came in and told me what happened. We turned on the TV to see it. We established a command post immediately and went on high alert,” Denham said.

Today, the two sheriff’s stations in the Valley receive daily reports regarding terrorism throughout the world. The deputies are briefed daily on terrorists and are always on high alert, according to Denham.

“We have never seen that before,” Denham said.

One reason that the reports are so vital is that Air Force Plant 42, with its military aircraft and personnel is located in Palmdale and Edwards Air Force Base, which is just a few miles to the north.

“We have very strong ties to Plant 42 and Edwards. And we have retired military living in Antelope Valley,” Denham said.

Even the citizens became extremely vigilant. There are more than 800 Neighborhood Watches within the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, he added.

Palmdale Mayor James Ledford said Sept. 11, 2001 was a sobering reality for everyone.

“We realized that our first responders are more than just venerable and we can never underestimate the severity of a terrorist attack,” Ledford said.

There is a lot more security in place everywhere now because everyone must be more vigilant, he said.

“We must be prepared for anything and everything,” he added.

When the Valley awoke on Sept. 11, 2001 to the vision of two planes deliberately crashing into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, every military, law enforcement and fire department throughout the country, including Antelope Valley, went on high alert.

First, motorist driving along East Avenue P at Plant 42, noticed huge yellow cement barricades blocked every entrance into the area. Suddenly stores, shopping centers, hospitals, colleges and other facilities in Antelope Valley had highly visible security officers.

Many residents feared that because the area is better known as Aerospace Valley, home of the Space Shuttle and secret military aircraft, that terrorists might have targeted the military installations.

As days passed and no more attempts were made, normal routines slowly returned. However, because the Valley is so strongly tied to the military and to first responders, residents continue to be vigilant.

Los Angeles County Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Mike Metro warned those attending a ceremony Sunday morning to never forget what happened on that day.

“The fire fighters and police ran into the flames while others fled. A group of passengers on Flight 93 said, ‘Let’s roll!’ If you forget, you will no longer can be vigilant,” Metro said.