Karen Truberg was working for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Sept. 11, 2001, and was in the South Tower on the 62nd floor when the planes hit. She recounted her experience escaping from the building after seeing the first plane hit the North Tower during a memorial ceremony at Hesky Park on Wednesday to mark the 23rd anniversary of the terrorist attack.

“At that time, we didn’t know what was happening, so the natural instinct to leave immediately kicked in. The stairwells were crowded, but very orderly. While making what seemed to be the endless exit, unbeknownst to us, the South Tower was hit by another plane,” Truberg said. “When finally reaching the bottom of the last staircase, all exits were blocked by debris. By some miracle, thanks to a maintenance employee having a key to what would be the right door, we were suddenly outside on the concourse level.”

Truberg believes she was lucky that day. Three weeks later, she married her husband of 11 years. But not all of her colleagues made it.

“At the end of that harrowing day, I was reunited with my fiancé and my parents. So many others never saw their family members again. Eighty-four of my colleagues perished that day, 37 of which were Port Authority police officers. Officers just doing their job to help people. I, of course, never forget,” she said. “It has taught me never to take anything for granted, to be kind and live life to the fullest.”

Almost 50 people attended the ceremony, which also included the singing of the national anthem, a prayer, and the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. Master of Ceremonies Pat Kelly of Mix 94.1 has hosted this event with the American Legion Post 33 since 2002. He said Sept. 11, 2001, in Meredith was the same as the anniversary 23 years later.

“It was bright blue skies, perfect early September temperatures, calm on the lake,” Kelly said. “And then our world was disrupted by this horrible attack on our soil.”

According to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, 2,977 people were killed that day. Meredith Fire Chief Ken Jones spoke to the loss.

“Many American families suffered the losses of a family member, a sister, a brother, mother, dad, aunt, uncle. A loved one that will never return,” Jones said. “It was a cowardly act. It took us all by surprise and left us all at a standstill for a period of time.”

But many, including Meredith Police Chief Mike Harper, spoke to the unification of the country in the aftermath of the attack.

“We should all remember, be reminded, however: the events of Sept. 11, 2001, one of the most devastating tragedies in American history, united us as a country, reminded us that life is precious, there is no room for hate. That together, we can inspire change, and that freedom should never be taken for granted,” Harper said. “Our new normal, as we call it, has been repeated over and over in history, through devastating life changing events. Make no mistake, the American spirit is alive and well. We’ll never forget those who lost their lives on that day, and the brave first responders who gave their lives on that day.”

Many children born since the attack don’t share the experience. State Rep. Matt Coker (R-Meredith), who is 38 years old, said his generation is one of the last to have a living memory of 9/11. He broke down when he spoke of having to explain to his daughters at the 9/11 Memorial what happened.

“My generation is kind of right on the line of being the last generation to have a living memory of 9/11. And my girls, I have three girls, and the older ones are 13 and 10, they don’t have a living memory of 9/11,” Coker said. “We go down to New York about every summer, and they just can’t grasp what happened. And we went down to the memorial, and how do you describe to them, just the horrific events that day? It’s heartbreaking.”