Cashmere Honors 25 Years Since 9/11 With Local First Responders

The anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11 will be observed on Patriot Day this Friday at the 9/11 Spirit of America Memorial in Cashmere, WA.

If you have not attended any of the previous ceremonies, consider the important milestone of this 25th anniversary of the attacks that killed 2,977 people. The FBI reports more than 9,000 people have since died from medical illnesses and complications related to the 9/11 attacks.

The foundation that maintains the monument in Cashmere also hosts the annual remembrance ceremony as to what happened on September 11th, 2001, in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania

9/11 Spirit of America Foundation board president Paul Harrison was just a teenager 25 years ago, just old enough to remember the events of that day. Harrison says a whole new younger generation was not yet born, and that is part of the foundation's mission to remember, honor, and educate.

The remembrance ceremony will feature three Washington State residents who responded at Ground Zero in New York City.

• Ret. Chief A. D. Vickery with the Seattle Fire Department led a Washington State urban search and rescue team at the World Trade Center;
• Ret. Chief Chris Flores from the Tukwila Fire Department was deployed to Ground Zero with a FEMA search and rescue task force from Washington.
• Bishop Gretchen Rehberg of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane was in New York on 9/11 and is bearing lasting health effects after providing first aid to victims and volunteering with a hazardous material team.

Retired Wenatchee Valley Fire Chief Brian Brett will emcee the ceremony, which begins at 11am The public is encouraged to arrive as early as 10am to secure the available seating and a musical interlude from Chris Ward, a retired police officer and Marine Corps veteran.

A LINK Transit bus will provide free transportation, departing at 10:15am from the former Senior Activity Center site on Maple Street in Wenatchee. Contact the Foothills Community Center to reserve a seat at (509) 662-7036

View the gallery of images highlighting the displays and tributes at the 9/11 Spirit of America Memorial in Cashmere, WA.

Learn more about the 9/11 Spirit of America Memorial Foundation at  911MemorialWA.org