Darin Kinder said people should not die with a “clean suit.” 

He also said no one should ever forget the 412 — that is, the number of first responders who died on 9/11 in New York City. 

Kinder, a special agent with the U.S. Secret Service who lives in Richardson, was in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, the day of the terror attacks that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people. He was in 7 World Trade Center when he attacks began. 

At Olde City Park in Wylie on Sept. 11, he spoke about his experiences at a service honoring those killed in the terror attacks. 

Terrorists in the al-Qaeda network hijacked airliners and flew them into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center that day. Two other airplanes were hijacked that day, with one plane crashing into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the other crashing into a field  in Shanksville, Pa. 

During his speech, Kinder described the horror of the towers collapsing — they both made a metal screeching sound, he recalls — and the chaos and suffering occurring at ground zero.

“Four hundred and 12 — I’d like that number to sink in for just a moment,” Kinder said, explaining those were firefighters, police officers, paramedics and first responders who died that day. “So, I’m here this morning to specifically honor those men and women. Our nation suffered greatly that day, to the sum of almost 3,000 (people). But this morning, I’d like to talk about the 412.”

For the full story, see the Sept. 15 issue or subscribe online.

By Don Munsch [email protected]