CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WV News) — West Virginia’s leaders reflected on their memories of Sept. 11, 2001, and honored active military service personnel during a recorded commemoration ceremony that was released online and via West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Late-Huntington resident Paul Ambrose died aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which was bound for Los Angeles but was hijacked by terrorists and flown into the Pentagon.

He was 32 years old.

“It seemed unreal,” mother Sharon Ambrose said. “There’s so much that he wanted to do.”

Father, Dr. Ken Ambrose, reflected that one of his last memories with his son was fishing in North Carolina, saying that Paul “enjoyed life, all that he did.”

Brig. Gen. William Crane of the West Virginia National Guard also remembered the passing of late-Staff Sgt. Gene Vance and Sgt. DeForest L.. Talbert — who were killed serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively.

“West Virginia National Guard had many sacrifices as people have been away from their families and spouses, children during this war,” Crane said. “Always remember the sacrifices our service members make to ensure that our state and our nation is protected.”

During the half-hour ceremony on Saturday, Gov. Jim Justice, Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Captio, R-W.Va., and U.S. Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., also reflected on the anniversary’s importance.

“When we first heard about this, we couldn’t believe it was real. We thought it was an accident until all of a sudden it became a stark reality: an attack on America and our very freedoms,” Justice said. “From that point, America changed, but in many ways, we’ve been resilient and changed for the better.

“We’ve seen people to stand up for the freedoms that make this country unbelievable...our freedoms that make this the greatest country on the Earth. We stand ready to fight at all times.”

Capito was in her Washington, D.C. office 20 years ago, and saw smoke from the Pentagon through her Longworth House Office Building window before seeing the smoke and smelling the burning jet fuel first-hand the next day.

“The War on Terror is ever-present. We can never forget September 11,” Capito said. “Let’s do what we do best: love our country, love our fellow Americans, work together, be brave and strong and appreciate what we have and how difficult it is to protect it.”

“There’s evil in the world, and we must prevent (September 11th) from ever happening again,” McKinley said.

State Senate President Craig Blair, R-W.Va., pledged never to forget the sacrifices made by the West Virginians or the collective 2,996 people who died on Sept. 11, 2001.

Before the ceremony concluded with Cabell-Midland High School Marching Band performing patriotic music, each speaker took a turn ringing the West Virginia Liberty Bell replica, found on the North grounds of the West Virginia State Capitol building in Charleston.

Other speakers included Randall Reid-Smith, West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History curator, First Lady Cathy Justice, West Virginia University President E. Gordon Gee and Clayton Burch, State Superintendent of Schools.

Rev. Matthew J. Watts of Grace Bible Church in Charleston and Josh Perry from Redemption Church in Huntington each prayed with livestream and television viewers.

The ceremony will be rebroadcast at 7 p.m. via West Virginia Public Broadcasting and is available continuously on Gov. Justice’s YouTube channel — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVTAjEqmRwU — and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WVGovernor