Flags flew at half-staff at the Menasha Police Department on Tuesday, as a reminder of September 11, 2001.
"9/11 is always a tough day for first responders," Menasha Police Chief Tim Styka said.
It's a day first responders remember where they were, what they were doing, and how they felt.
"It was very difficult to watch and to see, to see the heartache that was taking place," Fox Crossing Police Department Chief Tim Seaver said.
Now, on this the 17th anniversary, a local VFW post is saying 'thanks,' by presenting nearby police and fire departments with its Citizen of the Year award.
"We're doing this because the firemen and the policemen, they're the one that keep the city safe and they keep everything in order," VFW Commander Dave Mix said.
Mix said that members voted to give first responders this award on a year their annual banquet fell on 9/11.
"It's humbling," Seaver said. "Lost a lot of good men and women in New York and everywhere else during those incidents, and it is humbling to receive it on this day. It's a special day."
Police leaders also said that it's special to receive the award from this group, one that fought to keep the country safe.
"It really kind of means a lot coming from them," Styka said.
