On Sept. 11, 2001, the United States of America endured a horrific attack. Most of us remember where we were that fateful day and what we were doing. Many of us watched in horror as the Twin Towers collapsed.
Twenty years later, there is a new generation that didn't experience this event and may not know too much about what happened. We have an opportunity to teach them about this historical event and share the heroism of the men and women who worked tirelessly to save the lives of those affected by the plane crashes.
The city of Crestview is observing the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with a "solemn and respectful" display of events Saturday, Sept. 11 at the Crestview Community Center, located at 1446 Commerce Drive, across from the library.
There will be exhibits and photographs on display, with the center opening from noon to 5 p.m. This part of the memorial event is free and open to the public.
At 3 p.m. Crestview High School's theater department will perform scenes from a drama entitled, "110 Stories," which is a compilation of survivors' stories from all the sites involved in 9/11. This includes the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Flight 93 that ended in the field at Shanksville, Pennsylvania, which didn't reach its intended target due to brave men and women on that flight.
Crestview Mayor JB Whitten will host an exhibit of vehicles and tactical gear that would have been used by those responding to this crisis. There will also be storyboards explaining the attacks.
This is a wonderful opportunity to pass along history to our younger generation that may not have even been born when this happened.
This should be very moving, especially to those of us old enough to remember that fateful day.
In addition, there will be other exhibits detailing the history of the events that happened on 9/11.
At 6 p.m., a Remembrance Dinner will be served, catered by the Knife's Edge from Bob Hope Village in Shalimar. There will also be a presentation by Crestview police and firefighters representing their brave counterparts from the World Trade Center in New York City. Many first responders willingly gave their lives in order to save those affected by this act of terrorism and we appreciate their sacrifice.
Tickets for the dinner and presentation are $35 each and available at the billing window in City Hall, the Community center office or online at www.downtowncrestview.org/events. For online tickets there is a $1 fee for processing.
Whitten summarized his goal with this statement, "We want all our citizens to join us in remembering this tragic moment in our nation's history."
This will be a day of solemn remembrance for the fallen and a time for prayer, reflection and thanks to the heroes who stepped up to help those in need.
Thank you to all of the heroes of 9/11, we salute you for your bravery and love for our country. We will not forget you and will continue to tell your stories.
Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HAPPENINGS: It has been 20 years since the Sept. 11 terror attack