Manhattan Beach reminded all were September 11 victims
by Kevin Cody
Manhattan Beach Fire Captain Tyler Wade led a gathering of fellow firefighters, police officers, civic leaders and residents in a September 11 remembrance on Sunday, at 9:11 a.m., at the Manhattan Beach September 11 Memorial.
Wade recalled how all Americans are victims of the September 11 attack, because those who died represent a cross section of Americans, from office, and public safety workers, to flight crews, and their passengers.
Among the attendees at the September 11 remembrance was former American Airlines flight attendant Dyan Purser, who dressed in her American Airlines uniform. The Manhattan Beach resident was frequently assigned to American Flight 11, which flew between Boston and Los Angeles. On September 11, at 8:46 a.m., Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Purser was not on the flight because she was in training at the American Airlines Academy in Fort Worth Texas.
Manhattan Beach’s 9-11 memorial incorporates two 15-foot lengths of steel i-beams from the World Trade Center. They were given to the city in appreciation for the services of Manhattan Beach Fire Captains Tim O’Brien and Jeff Sanders, who went to New York in the aftermath of the attack to help in the recovery efforts. The memorial was designed by local architect Pat Killen, and dedicated on Sept. 11, 2007.
The memorial is located at the corner of 15th Street and Valley Drive, next to the police and fire stations.
Manhattan Beach Fire Captain and paramedic Jeff Sanders (in white helmet), at the World Trade Center, where he assisted in search and rescue missions following the September 11 attack. Photo courtesy of MBFD
Rescue expert Sanders sent to WTC following 911 attack
Retired Manhattan Beach Fire Captain, and paramedic Jeff Sanders passed away last December after suffering a cardiac condition while backcountry skiing.
Sanders joined the Manhattan Fire Department as a firefighter/paramedic in June 1981, and was promoted to fire engineer and then Captain.
Because he was a technical rescue instructor, he was sent to New York in the days following September 11, with fellow Manhattan firefighter Tim O’Brien. The two were assigned to search and rescue operations.
Sanders was an expert in mountaineering, rock climbing and backcountry skiing. More importantly, friends remember him as a mentor and person of great integrity.
He retired in November, 2009 to spend more time with his wife Carol, daughter Lindsay, son in-law Kyle, and granddaughter Kayden. ER