PRESS RELEASE
Mayor Gavin Buckley
Public Information Office
160 Duke of Gloucester Street
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Media Contact: Mitchelle Stephenson, 410-972-7724 or mwstephenson@annapolis.gov
Annapolis to Commemorate 20th Anniversary of Sept. 11 with Proclamation and Ceremony at Firefighters Memorial
ANNAPOLIS, MD (September 7, 2021) – The City of Annapolis will commemorate the 20th anniversary of September 11 with a ceremony at the Maryland Firefighters Memorial on the morning of Saturday, September 11, 2021. The memorial is located at the intersection of Rowe Blvd./Bladen at Calvert Streets. The ceremony will begin at 8:15 a.m. and conclude with a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., the time the North Tower of the World Trade Center was struck by a hijacked airliner.
Mayor Buckley will read a Proclamation declaring September 11 to be an Annapolis Day of Remembrance and Service. He will be joined by Alderwoman Rhonda Pindell Charles, chair of the City’s Public Safety Committee, the Annapolis Fire Department (AFD) Honor Guard, AFD Chief Douglas Remaley, who will lay a wreath at the conclusion of the program, and the state legislative delegation with Del. Dana Jones making remarks on their behalf.
On September 11, 2021, terrorists hijacked four airliners in a coordinated plot against the United States of America. Two of the hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center, causing the complete destruction of the landmark skyscraper complex. The third plane crashed into the Pentagon. A fourth plane was re-commandeered by brave passengers and crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, never reaching the hijackers’ intended target, likely a Washington, DC landmark (either the White House or the U.S. Capitol). Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks, including 2,750 people in New York, 184 at the Pentagon and 40 in Pennsylvania as well as the terrorists.
Annapolis firefighters went to New York City in the aftermath of the attacks to assist with rescue and recovery efforts. Mayor Buckley will honor that service and assistance to NYFD in their hour of need.
The public is invited to pay their respects at the commemoration. Attendees should park at Gotts or one of the state garages and walk to the ceremony site. Please be alert that there is a US Naval Academy home football game (vs. Air Force) on Sat., Sept. 11. There may be parking and traffic challenges in and around Navy Stadium as early as 10 a.m. on Sept. 11.
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