First responders reflect on Sept. 11

Iola Elementary School fourth-graders hosted a number of first responders for an assembly Thursday to look back on the legacy of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Friday is the 25th anniversary of the attacks.

Local News

September 10, 2026 - 3:26 PM

Iola Elementary School fourth-graders listen to first responders talk about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks during a special assembly Thursday. Friday is the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Photo by Richard Luken / Iola Register

As horrific as the events were on Sept. 11, 2001, the country’s response in the days that followed were ones that stick with Ed Donovan.

Donovan is an Allen County sheriff’s deputy and a staff sergeant with the U.S. Army.

He was among the first responders who spoke to Iola Elementary School fourth-graders on Thursday, a day before the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

“Sept. 11 was a tragedy, for sure,” Donovan said. “But the best day, by far, was Sept. 12” when Americans young and old, Republican and Democrat, gathered in support of one…

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