The Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Clay County Fire and Rescue, and other county agencies hosted the 9/11 Remembrance and Honor March. Deputies, firefighters, and local officials marched from the County Administrative Building to Spring Park along the St. Johns River.
The ceremony provided a solemn time to reflect on the events of that day. Governor Ron DeSantis delivered the keynote address, reminding attendees that “never forget means never forget.” A central moment of the event was the reading of the names of more than 400 firefighters, law enforcement officers, and emergency personnel who lost their lives on 9/11, read by local county officials. During the reading, several audience members were overcome with grief.
The ceremony concluded with the playing of Taps and the traditional striking of the “four-fives” to honor those lost in the line of duty.
Tobias D. Wilson, with the artist’s name of Endofthehwy media, was inspired by the literally the end of the Maine state highway 24. This was one of my favorite spots to visit while stationed at now now-closed Naval Air Station Brunswick, Maine, between 2004 to 2007.
I have been married now to a wonderful lady for 18 years and together we have one child, a nine-year-old daughter. We settled in St. Johns County after I retired from the US Navy after 20 years. My specialty in the military was administration and logistics. I am currently a stay-at-home dad and a volunteer at my local church.
In 2013, during outpatient treatment at Walter Reed Medical Center for deployment-related health issues, I was encouraged to find a hobby that I loved. I choose photography to see life through the lens.
I had the great opportunity to volunteer for two years as a still photographer for Honor Flights of Columbus, an organization dedicated to getting veterans to the memorials in Washington DC. My photos contributed to the flight mission video published on the organization’s website and YouTube channel. As a photographer, there was such joy to see the veterans return home to a hero’s welcome and be able to capture it.
