The crisp, blue skies above Evergreen Rotary Park in Bremerton belied the somber, poignant ceremony taking place Sept. 11 at the picturesque park’s Kitsap 9/11 Memorial. Several hundred residents gathered there to honor those killed or injured 15 years ago in lower Manhattan, at the Pentagon and in rural Pennsylvania.

On that day in 2001, the skies above a bustling World Trade Center complex at 8:45 a.m. were also cloudless and blue. But one minute later, the sky began to turn black from smoke pouring out of burning skyscrapers. The weapons used by the terrorists, two hijacked airliners, crashed into America’s twin symbols of its economic might.

The sight on live television of enormous flames, pillars of smoke and office employees hurtling to their deaths was so shocking that America has yet to recover from the trauma.

At the local observance, U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Bremerton, was a guest speaker. With eloquent words, Kilmer said 9/11 will forever be etched in our minds — moments in our lives we won’t forget.

“There also are moments as a community and as a nation that we won’t forget,” Kilmer said to the several hundred people gathered around the 9/11 monument of twisted steel that was recovered from the collapsed trade center building.

“Whether you were at school, the grocery store, in the office or at home, you know the moment you heard the World Trade Center towers were struck … But no matter where you were, the hours that followed were filled with such raw emotion. With fear. With grief for the lives lost. With uncertainty.”

Kilmer said something else happened that day: our nation came together. “First responders plunged into the wreckage to look for survivors. Folks called one another to see how they were doing. In the days after, we sought out ways to help those directly impacted. We donated blood. We gave to the Red Cross. Some even enlisted in our armed forces.”

Kilmer spoke emotionally about the sacrifices of those who worked heroically and selflessly to save lives and comfort others. For them and the victims of 9/11, ceremonies like the Kitsap 9/11 event paid tribute and offered gratitude.

Kilmer’s words were touching, but also thought-provoking. He said the commemoration reminds us that as a community — 3,000 miles away in Washington state from the terrible events — we continue to remain connected to what happened. We are reminded of the importance of remaining vigilant in the effort to keep America safe.

And we are reminded of something else, Kilmer said.

“That we are strongest as a country when we are united as a country. Think back to the days that followed. Folks from all different backgrounds came together. Communities came together. Our country came together. Even Congress came together …”

Fifteen years later, Kilmer said, that unified spirit has been cleaved by partisan rancor. Just turn on the cable news channels and hear “talking heads” driving that wedge even farther apart. “There is a rush to judge someone [who is] different or with different views,” he said.

In view of the 15th anniversary observed throughout the nation, Kilmer said it’s time to reunite. “The unity we felt following 9/11 is a reminder that we can do anything when we are the ‘United’ States of America. There is a feeling that it’s time to come together once again so we can make progress — together.

“There is a feeling that we can harness that spirit and, as Lincoln said in his first inaugural, ‘embrace the better angels of our nature.’ That we show kindness to each other — regardless of race, religion, background or political affiliation — … and take a moment to tell our loved ones, ‘You made my life.’ ”