AUBURN — Never forget.

The phrase had a slightly different meanings for the speakers at the 15th annual 9/11 commemoration service at Auburn Fire Department headquarters Sunday morning.

Chief Geoff Lowe said he hoped to stimulate self-reflection among the attendees. He started by recalling the number of lives lost Sept. 11, 2001, at the three sites where terrorists crashed hijacked airplanes: New York City, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. He continued with thoughts of sorrow for thousands of people who later died from injuries and cancer, and those still struggling with disabilities and illnesses.

“I feel sorry for the families that were left shattered, or were never able to start because of losing a loved one on that day,” as well as those continuing to suffer physical and psychological effects, Lowe said.

“I remember, for the obvious reasons, so that those lost on that day and the following days are not forgotten, and so that the mistakes we made prior to the attacks are not forgotten,” he said.

“But I also remember for another reason,” he said. “For a brief period of time I bore witness to one of the greatest examples of man’s humanity to man that we will likely ever see. Humans, unrestrained by racial, political or religious bias came together to help one another at this desperate time of need — biases that were, ironically, motivating factors for those who perpetrated the atrocities that day.”

For Auburn Mayor Jonathan P. Labonté, it was troubling for him to see that citizens attending the service were outnumbered by first responders. He said the nationwide rallying cry that sounded so loudly on 9/11 is not heard much these days. He urged people to be sure they do not treat Muslim neighbors unfairly.

“While we are here today to honor those who lost their lives, I want to make sure that we carry forward the lesson of that day to never forget our first responders,” Mayor Labonté said.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, R-Maine, said he is amazed by the incredible courage the first responders displayed as they rushed into the burning towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. He emphasized that all of us, and the next generation, should learn from 9/11. He said borders musts be secured and we must know everyone who is coming into this country.

“We must defeat terrorism over there to prevent more attacks here,” he said. Poliquin also praised first responders who go to work every day, never knowing what lies ahead.

A bell was sounded in a pattern of three, four, three strokes.

The significance of that bell pattern was explained by Fire Capt. Chip Keene, who said the sequence represents “the number of public safety personnel lost on that tragic day.”

Keene reminded attendees that the speakers’ remarks about a painful time are important.

“We remember for different reasons,” he said. “The comments about the next generation and the generation after that mean that we really need to be vigilant and come together as a group, and it’s evident today that we are doing that.”