Although he was only in fifth grade when it happened, Dustin Fawcett is planning an event to mark the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Fawcett is the regional director of the Better Business Bureau. The title of the commemoration is “Never Forgotten: The 20th Anniversary of 9/11.”
“We are going to be working with the Odessa Fire Department, Odessa Police Department and the Ector County Sheriff’s Office. It’s going to be begin with a caravan starting at the western terminus of Chris Kyle Memorial Highway, which is 42nd Street over at the intersection of Loop 338 on the west side and at the minute that the first tower was struck, 8:46 (a.m.), they’re going to turn their sirens on and begin caravaning on 42nd Street eastbound to ultimately finish at (the) Chris Kyle Memorial, the statue … near the Wilson and Young VA Clinic,” Fawcett said.
“There, we are going to have some stuff set up and then we are going to be working with AM 1070, KWEL. They’re going to be playing some patriotic music throughout, and once we get all the caravan there, the public is going to be invited, whether they’re in attendance or not, to tune into that station” and it will be broadcast live, he added.
Fawcett said he will speak, along with Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis, Odessa Police Chief Mike Gerke, Odessa Fire Rescue Chief John Alvarez and a few others.
Fawcett said he hopes to have Kyle’s widow, Taya Kyle, speak as well.
Speakers will talk about 9/11 and what it means to them, Fawcett said.
With the drive-in concept, he noted that people will be able to social distance and still participate.
He estimated that the event would last until around 10 a.m.
Fawcett said he asked around Odessa to see if anyone was doing anything to mark the 20th anniversary, but no one he knew of was. He asked Griffis if they should do something and they agreed they should.
Fawcett said Heather Massey, the former regional director of the Better Business Bureau organized an event about six years ago in downtown Midland, so there is a precedent.
“I started reeling through my mind about what we could do that would be really special. I thought about (how) Chris Kyle is a native son of Odessa and part of his story that 9/11 attacks were part of the reason why he enlisted in the military …,” Fawcett said.
He joined Kyle with other service members and first responders as a tribute. Then Fawcett thought about how a large crowd could remain safe during the COVID surge and the drive-in concept was born.
“… That was such a momentous day. Twenty years … it’s cause for pause and for reflection upon how much our world has changed in 20 years and it’s a big deal. I really wanted to make sure that we in Ector County and Odessa (marked) it and reflected upon all of its impact in our lives,” Fawcett said.
Remarks will be made by calling into KWEL, but some first responders and law enforcement will be at the Kyle Memorial.
“… (Host) Craig (Anderson) will be live on the radio. We’ll essentially be like callers on the radio,” Fawcett said.
Fawcett was in fifth grade when the terrorist attacks occurred. He said he could tell something was wrong.
“We weren’t able to go to recess and that’s what I remember. Then I went home and my brother told me we needed to turn on the TV,” Fawcett recalled.
His brother, Brad, who was in eighth grade, watched the news on TV at school, Fawcett said.
“No one really explained what exactly it was, so it was very kind of confusing but as it went on I came to understand what had happened that people don’t like what America stands for and freedom and our way of life and that these were bad guys. I understood then that there were going to be repercussions for that that included the wars in the Middle East,” he said.
“I was old enough to understand the cause and effect, but you don’t quite understand thousands of lives lost. You don’t understand what the World Trade Center meant as a beacon of free trade and stuff like that. But I knew it was a big deal and could tell it was. I just didn’t quite understand until a few years later when I really got it,” he added.
Fawcett said he thought many Odessans would want to see the Never Forgotten effort succeed.
He added that it’s about showing support for the lost fire and police officers in New York and backing local fire and police.
“… We’re hoping to have a couple of fire trucks out there with some flags hoisted and really have a good presentation for folks to really just sit there and reflect,” Fawcett said.
He wants to give veterans and emergency workers “that confidence that people care about them.”
“I want them to know even though I was young when it happened, I appreciate them every day,” Fawcett added.
