Ruben Arriaga, post commander for Veterans of Foreign Wars Floyd E. Breedlove Post 9182 in Katy, speaks during a Patriot Day observance held at City Hall, 901 Avenue C in Katy, on September 11 as the post’s honor guard looks on. The ceremony, attended by city officials local first responders, included the ringing of a bell to honor those lost in the attacks on September 11, 2001, and a proclamation from City of Katy Mayor Dusty Thiele. “This was one of the most difficult days in our history,” Arriaga said, saying that the courage of first responders that day will never be forgotten. “Let us never forget that freedom isn’t free,” he said. Thiele urged attendees to come together in unity now, in the wake of recent events, as the nation did on Sept. 12, 2001.