DECATUR, Ind. (WANE) – A Decatur Police Patch found its home at O’Hara’s Restaurant and Pub in New York City on September 1st, to pay tribute and honor the first responders who sacrificed their lives 22 years ago on September 11th.

Newlyweds Cody and Taylor Crump along with 11 other friends took a motorcycle trip to New York City. Along the way, they stopped at Niagara Falls, Maine, and New York City where they toured the 9/11 memorial and placed the Decatur Police Department patch at O’Hara’s.

  • Decatur Residents at O’Hara’s Restaurant and Pub
  • Decatur Residents eating at Restaurant and Pub
  • O’Hara’s Restaurant and Pub
  • Decatur Police Patch at O’Hara’s Restaurant and Pub

Taylor said she found the restaurant through Instagram. O’Hara’s is known for having patches all over inside of their restaurant.. showing their support for first responders. Their building was destroyed by debris and took 8 months to rebuild during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“It was a second story and that came all the way in so they had to rebuild as well,” Taylor said.

Taylor said O’Hara’s acted as a safe haven where first responders could find water and food, and tell their stories as they cleaned up debris.

“They would go and relax and just take a breath from all the hustle and bustle, going through the rubble from 9/11,” Cody said.

Taylor said it’s important to keep the memory alive.

“We were young whenever it happened, and it was a very humbling experience to just get to see and New York is a very hustle-bustle city and once you walked in there it just felt like home and it just kind of reminded me of Decatur whenever I saw the videos of it,” Taylor said, “And I just thought that it would be so cool to have a piece of Decatur showing our support to the first responders there.”

The Fort Wayne Police and Fire Departments, as well as the Allen County Police Department already have patches there.

The Crumps said the owner of O’Hara’s was their server. They said he shared many stories and memories of what that day was like.

“Getting to hear his story of what it was like at that time. He had workers and everything that would come in every day, and so they just thought that they were being evacuated for a couple hours and then they were gonna go back. And so he has this book that people from all over that have visited and there’s pictures in it, and people that have sent letters and everything,” Taylor said.

After the attack, they said it took the owner a long time to return to ground zero. When he went, he would point at a picture of those who fell, and could recall what they ate and drank at his restaurant.

The group also traveled to Pennsylvania where Flight 93 crashed when they headed home. They said they want to thank first responders for all they did then and now.

“Every day you show up and it’s not an easy job and you’re just there for people that may not always give thanks, but we’d like to say thank you,” Taylor said.