9/11 Ceremony Remembers ‘The Day America Cried’
August 20, 2016 at 4:29 a.m.
9/11 Ceremony Remembers ‘The Day America Cried’
By David [email protected]
More than 3,000 people died that day.
Since 2002, the Kosciusko County 9/11 Remembrance Planning Committee has organized an annual ceremony to remember the fallen. And about every five years, it has incorporated a parade to celebrate freedom.
For this year’s event, the ceremony starts at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 11 at the 9/11 Memorial in Central Park.
A parade will start immediately after, which organizers hope will kick off at 3:30 p.m. The parade route starts at the memorial on Canal Street, goes to Buffalo Street, to Center Street, and then to Boggs Industrial Park.
The Committee is calling the ceremony this year “The Day America Cried,” and the parade is “Celebrating Freedom,” according to co-chair Mike Cox.
The other co-chair is Cathy Reed.
In explaining how the ceremony and parade came to be, Cox said, “After 9/11, a few people got together and thought we need to do something to make sure people don’t forget that the United States was attacked on our soil on Sept. 11.”
In 2002, the Committee held a “very large” solemn parade that traveled from Boggs Industrial Park to the fairgrounds, Cox recalled. At the fairgrounds, the ceremony featured several guest speakers.
Since then, there’s been a parade about every five years – 2006, 2011 and this year.
“Each year we’ve had a ceremony. It started out at the courthouse. We decided that if we could raise the funds, it would be good to have a memorial, so we started fundraising,” he said.
They sold bracelets, but the main fundraiser has been bingo at the Syracuse Knights of Columbus.
“They’ve been very good to us, and we raised enough that in 2009 we dedicated the memorial,” he said.
One side of the memorial, which is in front of Center Lake Pavilion in Central Park, is dedicated to the people who died on Sept. 11. The other side is dedicated to Kosciusko County emergency services personnel who have died in the line of duty.
The memorial was dedicated Nov. 1, 2009. Eleven days later, Sgt. Jeff Shaw, an 11-year veteran of the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department, was killed in a car accident while on duty, Cox recalled.
Shaw’s name was added to the memorial the following year.
“It has just been important to the committee people that people don’t forget. Although it was a tragedy on 9/11, we are still here, we’re still at war and we’re still a great nation. We always come back,” Cox said.
Starting off the 2016 ceremony will be an invocation and presentation of colors by the Indiana Guard Reserve. Bryce Lippe will sing the national anthem. Boy Scout Troop 715 and Cub Scout Pack 3736 will lead the pledge of allegiance.
Warsaw Police Department Det. Brad Kellar will sing two songs during the ceremony, “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” by Alan Jackson and “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood.
Kevin Kyle, Winona Lake, tentatively may perform a patriotic guitar medley. Kyle has worked with music artists like Cher and Tina Turner, and was friends with Randy Rhodes.
Cox will be the keynote speaker this year.
Ken Locke will close the ceremony with a moment of silence and prayer. A local brass quartet may play patriotic songs preceeding the ceremony.
The parade beginning on Canal Street tentatively at 3:30 p.m. will include emergency services vehicles, Patriot Guard riders, Legion riders, possibly Indiana State Police motorcycle riders, antique fire equipment and possibly more. Cox said they are still looking for parade participants, and ask that they theme their float toward celebrating freedom. No political floats are permitted.
Cox said the committee has a Facebook page where a parade registration can be found. The page is under Kosciusko 9-11 Committee. Those interested can call Cox at 574-453-6042.
In case of rain, the ceremony may be moved inside the Pavilion, but the parade will go on unless it’s a torrential downpour.
“We would like people anywhere to display their flag. We invite them to join us in the parade or come down and watch the parade and ceremony. We have lots of room,” Cox said.
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More than 3,000 people died that day.
Since 2002, the Kosciusko County 9/11 Remembrance Planning Committee has organized an annual ceremony to remember the fallen. And about every five years, it has incorporated a parade to celebrate freedom.
For this year’s event, the ceremony starts at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 11 at the 9/11 Memorial in Central Park.
A parade will start immediately after, which organizers hope will kick off at 3:30 p.m. The parade route starts at the memorial on Canal Street, goes to Buffalo Street, to Center Street, and then to Boggs Industrial Park.
The Committee is calling the ceremony this year “The Day America Cried,” and the parade is “Celebrating Freedom,” according to co-chair Mike Cox.
The other co-chair is Cathy Reed.
In explaining how the ceremony and parade came to be, Cox said, “After 9/11, a few people got together and thought we need to do something to make sure people don’t forget that the United States was attacked on our soil on Sept. 11.”
In 2002, the Committee held a “very large” solemn parade that traveled from Boggs Industrial Park to the fairgrounds, Cox recalled. At the fairgrounds, the ceremony featured several guest speakers.
Since then, there’s been a parade about every five years – 2006, 2011 and this year.
“Each year we’ve had a ceremony. It started out at the courthouse. We decided that if we could raise the funds, it would be good to have a memorial, so we started fundraising,” he said.
They sold bracelets, but the main fundraiser has been bingo at the Syracuse Knights of Columbus.
“They’ve been very good to us, and we raised enough that in 2009 we dedicated the memorial,” he said.
One side of the memorial, which is in front of Center Lake Pavilion in Central Park, is dedicated to the people who died on Sept. 11. The other side is dedicated to Kosciusko County emergency services personnel who have died in the line of duty.
The memorial was dedicated Nov. 1, 2009. Eleven days later, Sgt. Jeff Shaw, an 11-year veteran of the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department, was killed in a car accident while on duty, Cox recalled.
Shaw’s name was added to the memorial the following year.
“It has just been important to the committee people that people don’t forget. Although it was a tragedy on 9/11, we are still here, we’re still at war and we’re still a great nation. We always come back,” Cox said.
Starting off the 2016 ceremony will be an invocation and presentation of colors by the Indiana Guard Reserve. Bryce Lippe will sing the national anthem. Boy Scout Troop 715 and Cub Scout Pack 3736 will lead the pledge of allegiance.
Warsaw Police Department Det. Brad Kellar will sing two songs during the ceremony, “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” by Alan Jackson and “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood.
Kevin Kyle, Winona Lake, tentatively may perform a patriotic guitar medley. Kyle has worked with music artists like Cher and Tina Turner, and was friends with Randy Rhodes.
Cox will be the keynote speaker this year.
Ken Locke will close the ceremony with a moment of silence and prayer. A local brass quartet may play patriotic songs preceeding the ceremony.
The parade beginning on Canal Street tentatively at 3:30 p.m. will include emergency services vehicles, Patriot Guard riders, Legion riders, possibly Indiana State Police motorcycle riders, antique fire equipment and possibly more. Cox said they are still looking for parade participants, and ask that they theme their float toward celebrating freedom. No political floats are permitted.
Cox said the committee has a Facebook page where a parade registration can be found. The page is under Kosciusko 9-11 Committee. Those interested can call Cox at 574-453-6042.
In case of rain, the ceremony may be moved inside the Pavilion, but the parade will go on unless it’s a torrential downpour.
“We would like people anywhere to display their flag. We invite them to join us in the parade or come down and watch the parade and ceremony. We have lots of room,” Cox said.
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