Remembrance ceremonies in Sequim, Port Angeles and Port Townsend will mark the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, a series of airline hijackings and suicide attacks committed by 19 terrorists associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaed, was the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed.
Four airplanes were hijacked. American Airlines flight 11 and United Airlines flight 175 were flown into the World Trade Center’s twin towers. American Airlines flight 77 hit the Pentagon. United Airlines flight 93 crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pa., after passengers attempted to overpower the hijackers. The plane was thought to have been headed to the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
Sequim
The city of Sequim will host a 9/11 remembrance ceremony at 7:45 a.m. Friday at Sequim Civic Center Plaza, 152 W. Cedar St.
The keynote speaker for the ceremony in Sequim will be a man who was in the Pentagon when it was attacked on 9/11 — Marc Abshire, Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce executive director and a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel.
On Saturday, the bell at the Sequim Civic Center Plaza will toll one time to coincide with the local times of each plane crash on 9/11, which killed a combined 2,977 and changed the course of U.S. history.
The bell will toll at 5:46 a.m., 6:03 a.m., 6:37 a.m. and 7:03 a.m., organizers said.
Port Angeles
The annual ceremony to re-dedicate two 9/11 monuments in Port Angeles will begin at noon Saturday at 9/11 Memorial Waterfront Park at the north end of Francis Street.
The patriotic event will include a flag line, flag ceremony, chorus, bagpipes and remarks from local public safety officials.
Alan Barnard, who co-founded the public safety monuments at the Port Angeles park, will lead the ceremony as he has most years since the dedication of the first monument on Sept. 11, 2002.
“Following this ceremony, bagpiper Rick McKenzie will play at the Port Angeles Fire Station where the fire department boom truck will be raised displaying a large American flag,” Barnard said.
“The public is invited to both locations.”
The 9/11 Memorial Waterfront Park, formerly Francis Street Park, is at 400 N. Francis St.
The Port Angeles Fire Station is at 102 E. Fifth St.
Scheduled speakers for the noon ceremony in Port Angeles include Clallam County Undersheriff Ron Cameron, Port Angeles Police Chief Brian Smith or his designee, Port Angeles Fire Chief Ken Dubuc or his designee, Coast Guard Air Station/Sector Field Officer Commander Joanne Snaith and Coast Guard Petty Officer Sam Allen.
Allen and fellow Coast Guard member Andrew Moravec helped Barnard establish a second 9/11 monument at the park — an I-beam from one of the fallen World Trade Center buildings — on the tenth anniversary of the attacks in 2011.
Before the ceremony, the American Legion Riders will ride in and establish a flag line for arriving visitors while McKenzie, a retired Coast Guard veteran, plays the bagpipes.
“The ceremony will begin with the Clallam County Sheriff’s Honor Guard raising the flag while the Grand Olympic Chorus sings the national anthem,” Barnard said.
“Following the flag ceremony the chorus will sing three more patriotic songs.”
After the speakers reflect on 9/11, the honor guard will lower the flag while McKenzie plays bagpipers and fades out.
The 9/11 monument dedicated at the park in 2002 includes a plaque that reads: “The grateful citizens of Clallam County present this monument as our tribute to the men and women of public safety who are dedicated to the protection of life and property.”
A second monument plaque that accompanies the World Trade Center beam states: “In memory of those who have fallen and with gratitude for those who serve, the citizens of Clallam County dedicate this monument to the brave men and women of public safety … Never Forget September 11, 2001.”
Port Townsend
At 8:30 a.m. Saturday, East Jefferson Fire Rescue and Port Ludlow Fire & Rescue will honor the sacrifice of the first responders who lost their lives while trying to rescue civilians during the Sept. 11 2001 attacks.
Fire engines and ambulances will be pulled out in front of fire stations and flags will be lowered to half-staff. Although the fire stations are currently closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic, community members are invited to join in the observance while practicing social distancing outside of the stations.
Local law enforcement also is invited.
EJFR and PLFR plan observances at each staffed fire station within their fire districts.
They are:
EJFR — Station 1-1, 9193 Rhody Drive, Chimacum; Station 1-5, 35 Critter Lane. Port Townsend: Station 1-6, 701 Harrison St. Port Townsend.
PLFR — Station 31 (headquarters) 7650 Oak Bay Road; Station 33, 101 South Point Road.
One minute of silence is planned at 8:46 a.m., the Eastern Daylight Time that Flight 11 hit Tower 1 of the World Trade Center in New York City.
Firefighter volunteers in both districts are encouraged to participate at unstaffed stations. They are: EJFR — Station 1-2, 6633 Flagler Road, Marrowstone Island: Station 1-3, 50 Airport Road, Jefferson County Municipal Airport; Station 1-4, 3850 Cape George Road; and PLFR: Station 32, 121 W. Alder St.
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Executive Editor Leah Leach contributed to this story.
