Photos by Sam Dean | The Roanoke Times

Scott Stephenson, a firefighter at Roanoke County's Cave Spring station, observes a moment of silence to mark the collapse in 2001 of the World Trade Center.

Firefighters in Roanoke County were among many in the region who gathered Thursday to remember the rescue workers who died seven years ago in terrorist attacks.

Lt. Toby Martin stepped out of Roanoke County's Cave Spring fire station and, with the six firefighters beside him, took off his hat, craned his head and gazed up at a star-spangled banner. The flag was wet, but the morning rain had stopped.

There was silence, and then there were cars whipping by on the wet pavement of Brambleton Avenue. The air conditioning unit of a building next door hummed. Birds chirped.

"We lost 343 of our guys that day," Martin said. "And we're never going to forget that."

From Roanoke County to Radford, firefighters and police held heartfelt gatherings Thursday to remember their fallen brethren -- the rescue workers of Sept. 11, 2001 -- with collective moments of silence and an appreciation for the public safety responders of Southwest Virginia.

For those whose job can entail a daily risk to life and limb, it was an occasion to remember the deaths of nearly 3,000 people, and to reaffirm the calling among first responders.

In Radford, the Sure Foundation Christian Fellowship honored chiefs of police and fire and rescue with a luncheon and plaques that called them the "gatekeepers of our community."

Yet public safety responders weren't the only ones to remember. At the Virginia Tech campus, the College Republicans staked a small American flag on the east side of the Drillfield for every person killed.

They were rituals repeated across the country. Flags were at half-staff everywhere.

"It doesn't make a difference if you're fighting fire in Radford or in New York City," Radford Fire Chief Lee Simpkins said. "We know the trials and tribulations of what they go through and respect each other regardless of where we are."