Heading into the future, we hope that Americans never grow weary of paying tribute to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks when the anniversary of that tragedy arrives each year.

It’s awesome to see how communities and individual organizations make efforts to ensure that those innocent and brave people in three American cities who died because of the horrific acts of terrorism on Sept. 11, 2001, are never forgotten.

In fact, we believe that a couple of efforts that took place in Lake County last weekend in connection with the 20th anniversary of 9/11 deserve some extra attention.

On Sept. 11, Eastlake’s Boulevard of 500 Flags provided a patriotic atmosphere as the city held its memorial service in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

“It’s good we all come together and mourn those that we lost and to show our resolve,” Joe Fischlin of American Legion Post 678 said to start the ceremony.

The service featured a narration of the events that transpired 20 years ago, with speakers interspersed throughout. Among those who spoke was Eastlake Police Chief Larry Reik.

Reik said that when preparing to speak at these types of events, he likes to learn of “new heroes who stood out and rose to the occasion.”

“People like Rick Rescorla, a retired Army officer,” Reik said. “He came into work that day at Morgan Stanley on 9/11 to cover for a co-worker. As the tower was struck, he sang inspirational songs on the loudspeaker to calm people down and maintain their focus. During that time, he led many out of the towers. Rick made several trips back into the building and he’s believed to have saved over 2,700 lives before he eventually perished.”

Shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, Eastlake began plans to create a memorial to honor those who lost their lives on that day. Eastlake Mayor Dennis Morley said the city’s “America Remembers Memorial is one of the few memorials that includes artifacts from the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.”

Morley said the memorial is dedicated to the police officers, firefighters and civilians who lost their lives during the events of 9/11 and “in recognition of the numerous acts of heroism and selflessness exhibited that day.”