TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Hundreds of Twin Falls neighbors walked the Perrine Bridge Thursday, flags in hand, to mark 25 years since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks — a show of unity that organizers say is more important than ever as memories of that day begin to fade.
WATCH: Hundreds walked the Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls to honor 9/11 victims
Magic Valley 9/11 Memorial Director LaRae Saufley said the quarter-century milestone makes remembrance efforts critical.
"It's being forgotten and we really need to bring it to the forefront and to remember not only what happened, but what we're capable of doing in the face of tragedy," Saufley said.
The flag-bearing walk served double duty — honoring the lives lost on September 11 while also celebrating the resilience of the Magic Valley community.
"As we've seen here recently our community has come together — we want to keep that going, keep that alive, always remember and to never forget," Saufley said.
Volunteer Tiffany Zimmerman said the walk carries deep personal meaning.
"In a time like now and with our recent events its very unifying and I really appreciate everybody that is out here," Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman said she participates each year for one reason.
"For me, patriotism. I really appreciate what it felt like on September 12th when almost every house and person in America had a flag — they felt community support — it's really important for me to feel that feeling every year," Zimmerman said.
Robert Stuart Middle School football coach John Nelson brought his entire team to take part in the walk.
"It's quite an honor to do this — myself, I'm ex-military and my brothers are military, and to do anything with the flag and representing your country is always something nice to do and it's respectful and I think it's a great thing to do," Nelson said.
The walk, which partnered with National Suicide Prevention Day and the Love Yourself and Bands on the Bridge event, is just the start of the Magic Valley 9/11 Memorial.
On Friday, the Patriot — one of the largest free-flying flags in the country — will be unveiled at its home in the Snake River Canyon.
"The event will kick off at 5:30 — we're having an air guard fly over at about 5:45 — we have another kind of surprise fly over, there is actually 6 more planes that are coming," Saufley said. "We try and kind of take the honor and memorial and give it its full honor, but then our goal is to transition into a patriotic celebration — leaving people feeling united and uplifted."
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