UNITED WE STAND—More than 1,300 people set off from the Reagan Library last Friday headed to Rancho Madera Community Park during the fourth annual Freedom Walk, an event to remember the victims of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and recognize our men and women still serving overseas. “Never forget.”

With those words in mind, 1,300 people marched in the fourth annual Freedom Walk in Simi Valley last Friday in memory of those who perished on Sept. 11, 2001.

Sporting patriotic attire and waving American flags, the area residents who made the 1.8-mile walk from the courtyard of the Reagan Library to Rancho Madera Community Park demonstrated the lasting impact of the tragedy from coast to coast.

“On a normal day, we value heroism because it is uncommon. On Sept. 11, 2001, we valued heroism because it was everywhere,” Bonnie Carroll said to the crowd before the walk. “Today, we join together to remember the sacrifices that have been made and to remember those who were on duty for America at the moment of their death.”

YOUNG PATRIOTS— William Cotterall, 9, left, and Allister Ballard, 9, carry an American flag last Friday along the Freedom Walk route from the Reagan Library to Rancho Madera Community Park. Many parents brought their children to the day’s events hoping to instill in them a sense of patriotism and a respect for the job done by U.S. troops. IRIS SMOOT Acorn Newspapers Carroll, who once served as a liasion to President Reagan’s cabinet, knows about sacrifice and loss. She founded the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors after her husband, Tom, was killed in an Army C-12 plane crash in 1992. The national organization provides grief camps at military bases for the loved ones of the fallen.

In coming together Friday, community members not only remembered 9/11, they also displayed support for the troops and their families, even if they don’t support the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

U.S. Marine Corps Col. Nicholas Marano addressed the walkers. He said America’s best days have not yet passed.

“I can tell you as a matter of fact, the greatest generation is not behind us . . . many of them are in a distant land in conditions far different than what we find ourselves in tonight.” The men and women serving in the U.S. military have answered Reagan’s call to be a “light on a hill,” Marano said.

“The young soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines that have fought so bravely in Iraq and Afghanistan have carried that torch,” he added.

One of those men is Army veteran J.R. Martinez. While deployed in Iraq in 2003, Martinez suffered severe burns over 40 percent of his body when the Humvee he was driving hit a landmine. Now living in New York, he plays a wounded warrior just back from Iraq on the soap opera “All My Children.”

Martinez received a standing ovation from the crowd when he came to the podium to speak. The 26yearold was just a highschooler when 9/11 hit.

“All of us have learned at some point in our lives . . . at times, unfortunately, it takes a tragedy to show us the beautiful things in life,” he said.

Valencia resident Andrea Gagnon keeps a daily reminder of Sept. 11 on her wrist. For the past seven years, she’s worn a silver bracelet with the engraving: “You will never be forgotten. 9-11-09.”

“It affected me very deeply,” she said. “I knew a couple people that worked in the towers. Thank god, they got out okay, but it’s something you should never forget.”

Her husband, Gabriel, a U.S. Army veteran, agreed.

“People move on, some people get caught up in their own lives. Times are tough right now so people focus on that, but it’s something we shouldn’t forget,” he said.

For the couple, remembering 9/ 11 and supporting the troops is very personal: Their oldest son, Matthew, 19, is serving in the Army and will be deployed to Iraq next month.

Moorpark resident Laurie Greene said that when she thinks of 9/11, the images of the day replay in her head and it feels as if it just happened yesterday.

“It does make people stop and remember what could happen at any time,” the 53-year-old said. “Not to live in fear, but to be ready, to be prepared.”

Walking with Greene was her daughter, Candice Jones. Though it’s a difficult day to reflect upon, Jones said, 9/11 served as an eyeopener for the nation.

“It began the day when we realized what our freedom means to us. We absolutely took it for granted before,” said the Simi resident, who brought her 10-year-old daughter, Cassidy, to the walk.

Erin Strong of Newbury Park said part of remembering 9/11 involves teaching the next generation the significance of the day, so she was pleased to see so many children in addition to her own participating in the event.

“We are the core of teaching them what happened. If not for us, they wouldn’t know,” she said.

Megan Masson, 11, of Newbury Park attended the event with her fellow Sequoia Middle School choir members, who sang “God Bless America” during the program in the library’s courtyard.

Before reaching the end of the walk, Megan stopped to say how honored she felt to be invited to sing and how inspired she was by the speakers’ stories.

“I’m really happy to have been able to do this. . . . It’s really amazing that so many people showed up here,” she said.

Before rushing off to finish the trek with her friends, the middleschooler proved she understood the importance of the day when she asked that this story include a thank-you “to every police officer, firefighter, paramedic, doctor, marine—anyone who’s ever done anything to help their country or their community.”