Saturday will mark the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. A Commemoration Ceremony will be held that morning at 8:30 am at the Rome-Floyd Firefighters Memorial Plaza, located behind City Hall in downtown Rome.
On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked a total of four planes. They piloted two into the World Trade Center in New York City and another into the Pentagon in Washington DC. Passengers on that fourth plane attempted to overcome the hijackers, and the plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Thousands of lives were lost. These attacks were coordinated by the Al Qaeda terrorist group.
David Kay, retired RFD Captain, indicates that Saturday’s patriotic ceremony will last about 45 minutes. It will feature a timetable of 9/11 events in order to educate those who were not alive when the tragedy occurred and to remind those who were.
The ceremony also will include patriotic music, an honor guard presentation, the laying of a memorial wreath, and a bagpiper, states Phil Langston, retired RFD Battalion Chief.