Video summary
On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, the Mountaintop Daily featured a poignant segment with firefighters from Pikeville who reflected on how that tragic day profoundly altered their lives and careers. Many of these first responders expressed an overwhelming desire to volunteer immediately after the attacks, driven by a deep sense of brotherhood and a need to support their fallen colleagues, even before the full scale of the loss was officially confirmed. The event shattered a sense of innocence for many, replacing it with a harsh reality that continues to influence how they view their profession today. For these firefighters, every September 11th serves as a moment for deep reflection on the gravity of the sacrifice made by those who responded and a consideration of what they would do if placed in a similar situation again.
The impact of 9/11 has also fundamentally changed the approach to training and preparedness within the fire service, shifting the focus from hoping disasters never happen to rigorously planning for when they inevitably will. Firefighters emphasize that their work is defined by pre-planning scenarios involving large commercial structures, understanding that safety depends on being ready for any eventuality rather than predicting a specific outcome. Beyond professional changes, the tragedy fostered an intense sense of patriotism and camaraderie among first responders in the days following the attacks, creating a lasting bond that shapes how they memorialize their fallen brothers and sisters. This shared experience has become a central part of their identity, prompting ongoing conversations about what could have been done differently and reinforcing the unique brotherhood inherent in the fire service.
In other local news, a Wolf County man named Clyde Rudy Endicott was sentenced to eleven years in federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine distribution scheme across three Eastern Kentucky counties. Although he pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges involving over 500 grams of the drug in exchange for having six other charges dismissed, investigators discovered more than eight pounds of meth and significant cash in his home during an arrest attempt. Endicott admitted to obtaining the drugs from a supplier and distributing them between June 2023 and July 2025, leading to a sentence that is shorter than the potential maximum but still reflects the severity of the federal investigation into his criminal activities.
The broadcast also covered upcoming community events, including the annual Battle of Middle Creek reenactment in Prestonburg, which commemorates the Civil War battle fought in 1862. Despite weather conditions that prevented many students from attending their scheduled education day, those who participated enjoyed learning about historical artifacts, uniforms, and military tactics from reenactors. The weekend schedule includes evening services, a night skirmish for public entertainment, and the main battle reenactment on Sunday, with plans to incorporate remembrance for 9/11 into the observances. Additionally, the program provided sports updates for local football games and promoted Appalachian Wireless as a local alternative for mobile phone services, concluding with a tribute to pro bono attorney Ned Pillarsdorf who advocates for vulnerable individuals in the legal system.
Read the full video transcript
We'll hear from firefighters about how
September 11th changed their lives. And
an Eastern Kentucky man is sentenced for
distributing meth in three counties. I'm
Jerry Scott and this is the Mountaintop
Daily.
The terrorist attacks of September 11th,
2001 changed the lives for all
Americans. But one group that was among
the most impacted was firefighters who
watched their brothers and sisters in
arms respond to the aftermath with many
of those heroes giving their lives when
the Twin Towers came tumbling down. On
this 25th anniversary of the tragedy,
Robin spoke with a group of Pikeville
firefighters across all age ranges to
learn about the impact that day had on
them. On the 25th anniversary of 911, we
sat down with some Pikeville
firefighters to talk about how the
tragic event affected them, their
careers, and life in general.
>> After seeing like all the all the fire
departments responding, all the, you
know, the ambulance and the police
officers, it made us want to question if
we was everyone get deployed, it was we
wanted to volunteer to go help them. you
know, realizing that it was an act of
terrorism and that that 343 of our
brothers had died even though that
number hadn't been published yet. But
obviously, you knew that guys were going
in to do what we do and that several of
them had lost their life. And we felt,
you know, emotional from that and like
chief said, as as quick as we could
volunteer to help, we called, put our
name on a list and and it's in our
nature to want to help. And it was just
what can we do to help was the our where
our next thought went. you know, every
September 11th. That's it that kind of
gives me cause for a sort of reflection
on,
you know, the gravity of what happened
and what the uh people on shift that day
had had to go to and respond to and the
sacrifice that they had to make. Um, it
kind of like makes me reflect a little
bit on not only that, but
it makes me think, you know, put in the
same situation, you know, how would I
think and, you know, what would I do?
>> Hatton talked about how 9/11 has changed
training and whatif conversations.
>> We're we're a learn by doing trade. And
to us, the conversation we have is the
importance of pre-planning is as looking
at these large commercial structures and
how can you look to go go into them. Um,
and we always try to come up with all
these different scenarios in training is
we we say it all the time is it's not a
matter of what is going to happen, it's
a matter of when it's going to happen.
>> Miller and Hayden reflected on how life
changed that day. I grew up in the 90s,
but I feel like um like life seems so
like really innocent
until that moment when that happened.
And it was like uh some kind of
innocence was shattered at that point
and it was like an ugly reality was just
placed in front of my eyes and I was 10
at the time. September 11th was a
frightening day for everybody, right? if
you were involved in it. It It was the
loss of that innocence and it was the
loss of
a world that we we would never know
again.
>> But September 12th,
>> like everybody was bought in, everybody
was a patriot. Everybody loved your
neighbor. And like I hate that September
11th ever happened. But to be able to
harness the feeling that people had from
September 12th,
>> the the camaraderie that came from that
tragic event um the next day was almost
palpable. Faren explained how 911 has
had a lasting and profound impact on
firefighting as a profession.
>> It was a a day that's memorialized
throughout the nation, but for
firefighters, police officers, and just
first responders in general, it's
different for them and the way that they
usually have a part in that memorial.
So, the way they set something up, where
they talk about it, sit around and think
about it. And that's because of that
that brotherhood and the camaraderie
that comes with the fire service. So,
you think about the lives that were lost
that day differently. And then we also
get to think about, like Brandon said,
what could we have done different if we
were in that scenario? If we were in
that situation, what would we have done?
>> Reporting for Mountaintop News, I'm
Robin Tilman.
>> A Wolf County man has been sentenced for
a scheme to distribute meth across three
Eastern Kentucky counties. Back in
February, 55-year-old Clyde Rudy
Endicott of Hazel Green pleaded guilty
to conspiracy to distribute more than
500 grams of meth in exchange for having
six other drug and gun charges
dismissed. In doing so, he admitted to
obtaining meth from a supplier and
distributing the drug in Wolf, Breth,
and McGgoen counties from June 2023 to
July 2025. Endicott was already under
investigation and had sold a total of
more than 250 grams of meth to
undercover officers on four occasions.
However, when officers went to arrest
him, they found more than 8 pounds of
meth. They found more than 8 pounds of
meth worth more than 50,000 in his home
along with 25,000 in cash. Indicott had
been facing a sentence of up to 20 years
in prison for the charge. On Thursday,
the judge sentenced him to 11 years.
Indicott is currently being held in the
Grayson County Detention Center,
awaiting transfer to the federal prison
system. Coming up after the break, the
North and South will be squaring off
once again for the Battle of Middle
Creek this weekend. We'll give you a
preview of this year's reenactment when
the Mountaintop Daily continues. But
first, sports and weather.
>> Bada bing, bada boom,
>> bada bing, bada boom. There we go.
How's it going sports fans? I'm Destiny
Faudy and this is your Mountaintop
sports recap. Let's get into it. It's
Friday, so that means it's football time
in the mountains. Guys, this is the best
day. First up, we have live stream
action of tonight's Pikeville vers
Johnson Central game on our Facebook and
TV app. Then, Pawn Creek Nation, we've
got you covered. Listen as Belelfflerey
travels to Russell County on WXCC
96.5 FM. All kickoff times are set for
7:30. Then on Saturday, be sure to catch
the Cats as they take on Alabama. Turn
the TV down and the radio up at 3:30 on
WDHR 93.1 FM. Mountaintop Sports will
also be on the scene for coverage.
That's your Mountaintop Sports recap. Be
sure to follow the Mountaintop Sports
Facebook, Instagram, and X for the
latest in sports or visit
mountain-topsports.com.
That's it for me, guys. Happy Friday.
See you later.
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It's once again time to step back to the
year 1862 as Prestonburg hosts the
annual Battle of Middle Creek
reenactment this weekend. Today was
education day and Connor went to the
battlefield to see how students are
learning from the event. On September
11th, the Middle Creek Battlefield
hosted their students day where students
could come down and learn about the
history of Kentucky. Sadly, due to
weather, a lot of students didn't get to
attend. But for those that did, they
enjoyed getting to see the reenactors in
character and learn about our history.
Here we have Patrick Davis, president of
the Friends of Middle Creek, to tell us
more about the event and what is coming
up. Well, we have just wrapped up our
annual school day. We had uh we had a
few students come in. and we didn't have
as many as we usually do, but the
weather kind of hindered us. This
evening, we're actually going to have
start having our reenactors show up on
the field and we invite the public to
come out later in the evening at about
9:00 to a luminary service where we do a
remembrance for the people who died at
the battle and the and the reenactors
and the community members who supported
the battle that uh have passed away this
year. And of course, this being the
anniversary of 911, we'll also be
incorporating that into it. Well,
Saturday, our camps are going to open at
10:00. That's when we invite the public
to come down and interact with the
reenactors. Come out, check out the
settlers and visit all the people. The
battle itself is going to start at 2:00
and it's going to be a reenactment of
the Battle of Ivy Mountain. The battle
itself should be about 30 minutes. 8:30
that night, we're going to have a second
battle. We're just calling it the night
skirmish and it's when we let the
reenactors just cut loose and have some
fun. Then after that, we're going to
have a independent group that's going to
be doing a ghost walk. That'll start at
9:30. And then our big day is on Sunday.
That's the actual battle of Middle
Creek. We'll start off the day at 10:00
with the camps opening. At 11:00 we'll
have a period church service here with
the Prestonburg Church of God pastored
by uh Jason Johnson and then we'll have
the Battle of Middle Creek at 2:00 and
that'll be the uh that'll be the closer
for the weekend.
>> For the students that did come, they got
to see old firearms sabers, learn about
the clothing and the history of the
battle and the Civil War all together.
Here we have Hillard Thacker with the
Victory Christian Academy to tell us
about their experience. We inquired
about this place to find out if we could
come down and this morning we drove we
drove down to make sure that it's
happening because bad weather you know
rain and all that well stopped a lot of
kids from get to come down to see this
and this is a great opportunity for kids
to learn about what happened in Civil
War. It lasted four years and so many
months. It was a good thing. A lot of
soldiers and they they teach the kids
how to march. tell them all about the
the soldiering and what the uniforms are
for and all the instruments they have to
go with their clothing.
And they do sell things that's artifacts
that come from the Civil War, which is a
good ideal.
And all the kids really enjoyed it
seemed like so far this morning. Uh they
had a good time. They like hearing the
stories about what went on and what
things that people did and do. And uh I
think they was impressed with it. I
think they had they had a great time.
>> Reporting for Mountaintop News, I'm
Connor Kent.
>> That will do it for this edition of the
Mountaintop Daily. Be sure to check us
out at 6 p.m. every weekday on
Mountaintop TV, the Mountaintop TV app,
and the Mountaintop News Facebook page
with your Mountaintop Daily. I'm Jerry
Scott for Mountaintop News.