Appomattox veterans remember 9/11 victims

APPOMATTOX, Va. – Local veterans in Central Virginia remember the lives lost on 9/11. 

On Wednesday, members of the Appomattox American Legion Post 104 chapter held a ceremony near the county's Veterans Wall of Honor. 

Organizers say they wanted to honor first responders who died saving people at the World Trade Center and Pentagon. 

One keynote speaker was a military police officer who responded to the Pentagon after American Airlines flight 77 flew into the building.

"We realize now that our first responders are truly the first line of defense of the home front here. And it's important to recognize and thank them for what they do daily," Howard Gregory, media relations for American Legion Post 104, said.

"It struck home. Then you're like, 'This happened on our soil.' It kind of affected you," Ron Krauklis, former military police officer, said. 

The group also laid a decorated wreath for local first responders.