‘They need to know:’ Bluffton thanks first responders on anniversary of 9/11 attacks

A crowd of about 100 gathered at the Veterans Memorial in Buckwalter Park Sunday morning on the 21st anniversary of 9/11 to thank first responders and honor the 2,977 people killed in the attacks.

Water and baked goods were distributed to community members after a talk from Roy “J.R.” Brown, the founder and CEO of Operation Patriots Forward Operating Base, a Lowcountry-based organization dedicated to supporting first responders and military veterans. Brown spoke of the deaths by suicide of fellow soldiers and a close friend.

Data from the Center for Disease Control in a July 2022 report showed that in 2019, there were an average of 130 deaths by suicide in a day. Of those 130, 17 were veterans. In that year, there was an average of 17.2 veteran suicides a day and 6.8 of those suicides had encountered the Veterans Health Administration, a healthcare program from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, within at least a year of their deaths. The data showed that from 2001 to 2019, the Veteran suicide rate was increasing at a rate greater than the rest of the population.

Brown struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder following his return from Iraq, according to the organization’s website, and he created the OPFOB to be a place where veterans could gather outdoors with “like-minded” individuals. At the event, Brown called for a round of applause after asking for a show of hands of how many first responders in the crowd were in New York on Sept. 11, 2001. At least three people raised their hands.

“We thank all of you, from the bottoms of our hearts; and all the veterans who fought over the last 20 years over the war on terrorism,” Brown said.

The fact that there were members of the crowd that were first responders in the 9/11 attacks wasn’t surprising to Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka, but this year, there were more than expected.

“They need to know how much we thank and love them, and we do,” Sulka said. “It’s honoring those that lost their lives in a town so far away from it all. Who would think Bluffton would have so many people connected?”

Also at the event was the Dennis J. Becker American Legion Post 205, a local non-profit organization designed to help active service members, veterans and their families. The Legion was at the event to promote its 2023 Operation Wipeout, an annual community outreach program that started in 2020 and was set up to collect funds to purchase baby diapers for families of the U.S. Navy and Marines in the area.

“We came up with the idea to support Navy and Marines up in Beaufort and asked them what they need most,” said Past Commander (2019-2020) of Post 205 Dave Robbins. “What Marines need most is diapers, of all things. They’re so expensive.”