421 Deland Fire and police remember Sept 11th

Neither have the people he lost because of it. Among those he remembers is Jack Sodowski, a former member of the DeLand Police
Department who previously served with the New York State Park Police. Sodowski assisted with cleanup efforts at Ground Zero and later died from 9/11-related cancer. 

“I want to remember Jack. He was an appreciated member of our department,” Umberger said.  Sodowski’s story is a reminder that the toll of Sept. 11 did not end when the smoke cleared. Twenty-five years later, the lives lost that day — and in the years that followed — remain at the heart of why DeLand’s police officers and firefighters continue to gather annually..

For Lt. James Smith of the DeLand Fire Department, the scale of that loss remains almost impossible to comprehend. “We [both departments] are used to, unfortunately, sacrificing some men and women along the
way,” Smith said. “But to lose that many, in one instance, is unfathomable.”

Yet despite knowing the risks that come with the profession, Smith said the opportunity to serve makes those risks worthwhile. “The potential to save a citizen in the city of DeLand is more than worth it to me,” he emphasized . For Smith, the game is also about the families who continue carrying the weight of that tragic day. He recalled last year’s memorial game in 2025, when local firefighters learned that the widow of a firefighter lost as a result of 9/11 was living in DeLand during a nearby call a few months prior to the game.

So of course, they invited her to attend. “She misses her husband, but she’s celebrating his life too,” Smith said. After the game, firefighters brought her out to the pitcher’s mound as the crowd cheered. “She had a blast,” Smith said. “It was just awesome.” Hatters Prime was able to sit down and speak with the courageous lady during this year’s game. Her name is Ruby Dillon. She attended the game in her late husband Robert Dillon’s memory.

Robert served for over two decades as a New York firefighter and was a member of the FDNY Engine 153 crew. He passed passed away in 2003, from illness related to response to the attacks. “He lost over 85 close brothers that day and checked on their families and those effected relentlessly,” Mrs. Dillon added.

She believes it’s her duty to carry on what her husband started. It proves the legacy of the attacks is not simply found in statistics either, but lives on in the commitment to continue carrying the loss and honor them with how they live every day. “I want to keep his legacy alive by being a part of this and doing whatever I can for Deland Fire Department,” she said. That moment captured what the game has become: a place where grief and gratitude can exist side by side.

For DeLand Fire Department Lt. Justin Bass, the night is also about keeping a promise that has been repeated across the country for 25 years. “You know, we always say ‘never forget,’” Bass said. “And this is how we do it. This is how we show that we really will never forget.”
For Bass, the weight of the lives lost becomes even greater when he thinks beyond the number and considers the people behind it.

“Makes me think of my own kids, but each one of those has a family and they went to work just like a normal day,” Bass said. Parents. Spouses. Siblings. Friends. The list continues. First responders who began Sept. 11 expecting it to be another day at work and never returned home.

That sacrifice continues to resonate with a new generation of first responders, including DeLand firefighter Tyler Walker. “Even though they’re from different states or different generations, they’re brothers to us,” Walker said. “They do the same thing, want to help people.” For Walker, the connection to Sept. 11 is deeply personal. He said the attacks were a major factor in his decision to join the Marine Corps before
eventually entering the fire service.

Tuesday night also marked Walker’s first time playing in the memorial game, continuing a tradition once carried by his father, who also served with the DeLand Fire Department. “My dad’s last year playing, since he’s done retired with the fire department now, so it’s a new generation,” Walker said. From father to son, the tradition — and the responsibility to remember — continues. Traffic Unit Officer, Andrew Peterson, understands that bond from both sides.

Before becoming a police officer, Peterson served in the fire service, giving him a unique perspective on the relationship between the two departments. “Every single one of those numbers represents somebody who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, for others,” Peterson said. And on Tuesday, those sacrifices were remembered not only by the men and women in uniform, but by the people sitting in the stands  “It’s amazing. I’m glad to see the community of DeLand coming together,” Peterson said. That sense of community is what allows the annual game to be more than a competition. For one night, police officers and firefighters can joke, compete and fight for bragging rights. But underneath the uniforms, the dugouts and the final score is a shared understanding of what service can cost.

Many years ago, hundreds of first responders answered a call and ran toward danger. Some never came home. Others carried the effects of that day with them for years.

Their stories are why DeLand’s first responders continue to gather. Why fathers pass the tradition to sons. Why widows are invited onto the pitcher’s mound. Why police officers and firefighters who spend one night competing against each other stand together for something much bigger than the game.

Twenty-five years later, the numbers still carry an enormous weight.
But behind every number is a name.

A family.
A story.
A legacy.

And on a softball field in DeLand, another generation made sure they were not forgotten.