Anthony ? A riderless horse led a flag-draped coffin down Main Street, and everyone stood silent as the sound of bagpipes drifted through the crowd.

The march ended in Memorial Park just to the west of the town’s new 9-11 memorial, and only then did the residents of Anthony begin to move closer to the monument commemorating the 9-11 heroes.

After two years of meetings, intense discussions and high emotions, the committee for the Anthony 9-11 memorial was proud to see a dream realized.

The memorial is a ring of brick and concrete on the ground, with a round pedestal in the middle.

Steel from the World Trade Center rests atop the stand — three separate pieces arranged in a way that makes it look as if they are tumbling.

A single limestone brick from the Pentagon is placed under the steel beams, along with dirt from Shanksville, Pa.

Shortly after the 9-11 attacks, the town of Anthony adopted the family of a firefighter who died in the World Trade Center.

Joe Spore Jr. had worked for Engine 88, Ladder 38, with the New York Fire Department.

Anthony residents have maintained contact with the family over the past three years, and Joe’s sisters, Maureen Comiskey and Barbara O’Rourke, traveled from New York to attend the ceremony.

“When we first saw the memorial, it took our breath away,” Comiskey said.

Both sisters said the town’s relationship with Joe’s family has grown into an “unusual friendship.”

Comiskey recalled items the town has sent the family over the past few years: news articles about the memorial, a quilt from residents.

They even said that Joe’s son — Lil’ Joe as they call him — got his first skateboard from the residents of Anthony.

“To realize how much people halfway across the country care about what we were going through in New York, it brought us together,” Comiskey said.

“It really helped us through a tough time,” O’Rourke said as she choked back tears.

Jason Papemeyer, a firefighter with Engine 88, Ladder 38, was impressed with the town’s monument and its people.

Between signing autographs for the town’s children, he took some time to admire the monument.

“It’s going to be beautiful,” he said. “I’ve seen a couple at home that aren’t as nice as this.”

Mayor John Schott said that seeing the memorial completed has been the guiding principle behind the committee’s work and had helped the members focus on a shared goal.

“We felt our kids deserved something they could touch and feel to help them remember what we went through, what we felt, that day,” he said. “This will help them remember.”