'Today we remember': Milwaukee War Memorial Center holds ceremony honoring 9/11

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- There are events commemorating Sept. 11, 2001 across the nation today, including right here in Milwaukee. 

At the War Memorial Center, a piece of 9/11 history is always on display. A piece of the steel beam that once supported the Twin Towers is out in the open for everyone to see. It's one of many pieces given to communities across the country as a way for people to honor and remember the lives lost and the heroes that stepped up to help. 

The War Memorial Center has held an event honoring the first responders and others who were impacted on that day 22 years ago.

"It's a place where we honor the defenders of our freedoms," said Mayor Cavalier Johnson. 

This year, nine wreaths were placed on the beam. 

"We gather to honor the lives lost the heroes who emerged in the face of unimaginable adversity. Today we remember ... Remember what it felt like that day, and how our collective lives as a nation were changed forever. We mourn," said County Executive David Crowley. 

September 11th changed the lives of every person who witnessed the planes hit the pentagon and the Twin Towers, but these events have just as much significance as time passes. 

"It's a different experience for the people that lived it versus the people that were told about it, and so, for the next generation and the generations after that we have to tell them what this day means and how it changed America," said Lt. Col. Dale Kooyenga. 

Kooyenga says the events had a big impact on his own life. 

"My two brothers and myself, all three of us, joined the US military after 9/11 -- inspired by those events," said Kooyenga. 

The War Memorial Center is a place for people to visit year-round, to learn and remember about 9/11.