Wright State’s Calamityville to host commemoration of 20th anniversary of 9/11

The 9/11 monument at Wright State’s Calamityville in Fairborn includes a steel beam artifact from the World Trade Center.

Vowing that “we will never forget,” the city of Fairborn will hold its 20th annual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 11, at 8:30 a.m. on the front lawn of Wright State University’s Calamityville, the National Center for Medical Readiness, at 506 West Xenia Drive.

The ceremony is open to the public. Parking is available at the site and at the lot across the street.

In March 2011 Fairborn received a steel beam artifact from one of the World Trade Center’s twin towers that was incorporated into a monument commemorating the nearly 3,000 people who were killed in the terrorist attack.

Etched on the memorial are the words “We shall never forget. We shall keep the events and tears in our minds, our memories, our hearts and take them with us as we carry on.”

The monument was created to serve as a connection not only to those who were lost in the towers, on the planes and the first responders but also to the military members serving today or who have died serving their country.

The ceremony will include the Presentation of Colors by the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Honor Guard followed by an invocation given by American Legion Chaplain Kevin Knepp and welcoming comments by Fairborn Mayor Paul Keller.

Paul Newman Sr. will lead the singing of both the national anthem and “God Bless America.” The American Legion Post 526 will give a 21-gun salute and play “Taps” in honor of fallen comrades. Del Braund, a retired sergeant in the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, will conclude the event by playing “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes.