Wednesday, Sept. 11 will mark the 23rd anniversary of one of the most horrifying, yet unifying, days in U.S. history – the 9/11 terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people, including hundreds of emergency responders who rushed to save their fellow citizens.
In the aftermath of that catastrophic tragedy, rather than allowing fear to take hold, Americans all across the country displayed a fierce patriotism and declared they would “Never Forget” what had occurred in the morning hours of Sept. 11 2001.
For the Rotary Club of the Pahrump Valley, that declaration is one that rings true to this day. Each year, the club heads the local effort to ensure the community remembers the events of 9/11 with a ceremony in honor of the solemn occasion.
This year’s 9/11 Memorial Ceremony is set for next Wednesday at a location that adds a special element to the event, the First Responders Reflection Area.
Completed in 2016, the First Responders Reflection Area was constructed in a shaded portion of the Calvada Eye, offering residents a place to sit in quiet contemplation of the often dangerous service that emergency responders undertake every day. These men and women regularly put their own lives on the line in the name of public safety, just as those police, firefighters, paramedics and EMTs did when they ran toward the destruction wrought by the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The 9/11 Memorial Ceremony will kick off with a presentation of the colors by the Nye County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard and an invocation by pastor Keith Walker. Sheriff’s Capt. Greg Curtin will sing the national anthem and former Ms. Senior Golden Years Queen Marla Quercia will interpret with sign language.
At 8:46 a.m., the same time that American Flight #11 crashed into the first of the Twin Towers, a bell will be rung in honor of those killed. At 9:03 a.m. another bell ringing will take place, this time commemorating the lives of those lost as United Flight #175 collided with the second of the Twin Towers. Two more bell ringings will take place, at 9:37 a.m. when American Flight #77 smashed into the western facade of the Pentagon and at 10:03 a.m. when United Flight #93 met its fate in a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
Interspersed between the bell ringing, a variety of notable locals, invited as guest speakers, will offer their thoughts on the day that many can still recall in vivid detail. Rotary Club 2024-2025 President Deborah Beatty, Rotary past president Roy Mankins, Pahrump Valley Fire Rescue Chief and Nye County Emergency Management Director Scott Lewis and Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill are each scheduled to speak, as are Nevada Assemblyman Greg Hafen II, Nye County Commissioners Ron Boskovich, Frank Carbone and Bruce Jabbour, Mickey Roohan with KPVM-TV and local resident and activist Reva Braun.
The 9/11 Memorial Ceremony is slated for 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at the Calvada Eye on Walt Williams Drive.
The ceremony is open to all and the entire community is encouraged to gather in recognition and reminiscence of a day that changed America forever.
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com