Nate Huizenga was patrolling Highway 10 just east of Hawarden when a radio report interrupted an otherwise ordinary day.
A plane had struck the World Trade Center.
It was September 11, 2001, and Huizenga was in his first year with the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office. Twenty-five years later, the sheriff still remembers where he was when he heard the news — and watching with fellow officers as confusion gave way to the realization that the country was under attack.
For Sioux Center Fire Chief Dave Van Holland, the memories include a trip with fellow Sioux County firefighters to attend funerals in New York.
Their reflections, along with tributes shared by fire departments across Sioux County, mark an anniversary that remains deeply personal for those who answer emergency calls.
A Morning They Still Remember
Huizenga had returned to Sioux County earlier in 2001 after serving as a deputy with the Emmet County Sheriff’s Office in Estherville. He and his wife are both originally from Sioux County.
“I was patrolling on Highway 10 just east of Hawarden,” Huizenga said. “…I was listening to the radio and heard about the first plane hitting the tower, and there was a lot of confusion.”
After hearing the initial report while on patrol, he went to the sheriff’s office, where several officers gathered to watch the news. As they watched, a second plane struck the other tower.
“It became obvious that we were dealing with something different than an accident,” Huizenga said.
Van Holland, who became Sioux Center’s fire chief in 2000, remembers traveling to New York with a group he estimated at a dozen people from Sioux County to attend funerals following the attacks.
“We took a dozen guys, I think it was, and flew up to 9/11 for the funerals. And that was really humbling to see 340 hearses lined up,” Van Holland said.
He described the experience as humbling. As a chief, the loss carries a particular weight: the responsibility of sending firefighters into danger and wanting every one of them to return.
“I never want to experience that,” Van Holland said.
Twenty-five years later, he said his prayers remain with those affected. He also finds encouragement in seeing descendants of fallen first responders enter fire service and law enforcement, continuing their families’ legacy.
Remembering the Support That Followed
For Huizenga, memories of the attacks are accompanied by memories of the support that followed.
Traveling through Minnesota later that fall, he noticed American flags everywhere. He remembers people rallying around grieving families and the first responders who had been on the ground.
“That is the one thing that I remember the most is the support everybody had for each other and, our country,” Huizenga said.
That spirit of remembrance was also reflected in messages shared by local fire departments via social media.
The Hull Volunteer Fire Department honored the 343 firefighters killed that day, along with other victims and those who made sacrifices in the aftermath. Its message connected their service to the responsibilities local volunteers carry today.
“Every time we put on our gear, or respond to someone in need, we are reminded of the responsibility that comes with being a firefighter,” the department wrote.
Sioux Center Fire shared a similar message, saying the example of those lost remains with its members whenever they answer a call. Orange City Fire encouraged people to remember both those killed in the attacks and responders who later died from illnesses associated with their work at Ground Zero.
Hawarden Fire and Rescue recalled the attacks and the lives lost, while Rock Valley Fire offered support to families who continue carrying their loved ones’ memories.
“To the families who lost loved ones, we stand with you as you carry on their memories,” Rock Valley Fire wrote.
A quarter-century later, those messages connect a national tragedy to the people still serving their neighbors here in Sioux County.
