Yavapai County budget manager recalls being 12 on 9/11 and urges residents to act with bravery

Kevin Forbes, identified by Mayor Cal as a Yavapai County Board of Supervisors budget manager, delivered a personal reflection on the 25th anniversary of 09/11.

Forbes described watching news coverage in his classroom and the confusion and fear he felt as a preteen. He said he remembered a news anchor repeatedly using the word "deliberate," and recalled classmates asking what the word meant; Forbes said, "It's intentional," describing how that moment crystallized the gravity of the attacks. He recounted the school lockdowns, limited family communications and watching emergency responders mobilize, and said those memories shaped his decision to serve the community.

Forbes closed by asking attendees to take the characteristics he observed — bravery, selflessness and service — into everyday life: "Think about those characteristics, those traits that they had. Implement it as much as you can in your everyday life to be a better friend, a better neighbor, better American."