COON RAPIDS, Minn. - A tribute to memorialize the events that took place 17 years ago on Sept. 11 became a truly awe-inspiring moment when an eagle decided to take a rest atop an aerial truck in Coon Rapids.
The fire truck, which was parked on the Highway 10 bridge, was holding an American flag to honor and remember those who lost their lives on 9/11. While the Andover Fire Department -- along with several surrounding departments -- held their tribute, an eagle perched at the top of the aerial truck, creating a chill-inducing moment.
"Isn't that unbelievable?" said Andover Fire Chief Jerry Streich in a video shared on the department's Facebook page. "Phenomenal."
Streich said this is the 17th year for the city's annual tribute and certainly seems to be one, no one will ever forget.
"There’s no better symbol to represent America today than a flag but then for an eagle to land on a fire truck holding a flag, I mean, it doesn't get much more symbolic than that," he said.
Streich said he couldn't believe his own eyes when the eagle stopped for what he described as less than a minute.
"I had to look at it a few times," he said. "And then I thought, I need to videotape this!"
The live Facebook video has been viewed more than 640,000 times and shared more than 11,000 times since it was posted earlier this morning.
And if that wasn't enough, Streich said the eagle landed around the same time as the national moment of silence.
