Our Views – Two towers of light were visible Monday night where the Twin Towers of New York once stood.

The &uot;Tribute of Light,&uot; as it was called, lit up the Manhatten skyline to honor victims of Sept. 11 on the six-month anniversary of the attacks.

The lights will shine each night until April 13.

Although such patriotic acts will not bring back the victims of the horrific terrorist attacks, Americans continue struggling to find ways to honor those who have fallen.

New York residents aren’t the only ones unveiling Sept. 11 tributes.

The North Shelby Fire Department unveiled a new truck last week. The new truck has a $25,000 compressed air foam system (CAFS) that firefighters say will help save lives and prevent severe fire damage.

Also on the new truck is a decal that reads, &uot;In rememberence of September 11,&uot; and has the picture of an eagle in front of an American flag.

North Shelby Fire Chief Michael O’Connor said he hopes to have a similar decal on all of the North Shelby trucks in the near future.

O’Connor noted 343 firefighters were lost on that day when on a normal year only 100 are lost nationwide, with most of those deaths attributed to heart-related illnesses.

He described the decal as a way to show the &uot;Brotherhood&uot; all firefighters share.

Meanwhile in Columbiana, a group of residents is working with city officials to raise money for new flags.

The flags will replace those flying since Sept. 11.

Several Columbiana council members, including veteran and Mayor Allan Lowe, have said the flags will remain until the last soldiers come home.

These gestures just go to show that Shelby County is still grieving over Sept. 11 as is America.

Let us never forget