PARSIPPANY-TROY HILLS — The Morris County Board of County Commissioners is inviting residents to join the twenty-fifth anniversary Morris County September 11 Remembrance Ceremony on Sunday, September 13, at 7:30 p.m. at the Morris County September 11 Memorial, 460 West Hanover Avenue.
Keynote remarks will be delivered by Dennis Letts, a retired United States Secret Service executive and Tunnel to Towers Foundation ambassador, who was at the World Trade Center in New York City when terrorists carried out the attacks on September 11, 2001. This year marks a quarter century since nearly three thousand people were killed after four commercial airliners were hijacked by terrorists, who flew two planes into the Twin Towers and another into the Pentagon in Washington, District of Columbia. A fourth plane crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers fought to regain control of the aircraft.
This year’s remembrance ceremony will begin after sundown, more than an hour later than in previous years, to accommodate residents observing Rosh Hashanah.
The evening will feature a candlelight vigil, musical tributes, an invocation, the reading of the names of the sixty-four Morris County residents who perished in the attacks, and a procession of firefighters, law enforcement officers, emergency medical personnel, veterans and other dignitaries.
About the Keynote Speaker
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Dennis Letts, a United States Secret Service special agent at the time, was exiting the North Tower of the World Trade Center when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the building directly above him. He immediately returned to assist with the evacuation of thousands of occupants and later supported the emergency evacuation of civilians from Lower Manhattan after the towers collapsed. For his extraordinary courage and leadership during the attacks, he was awarded the United States Secret Service Medal of Valor.
The public is encouraged to bring lawn chairs to the ceremony, as seating is limited.
Parking is available at the Morris County Department of Human Services offices, 340 West Hanover Avenue, Morris Township. Shuttle service will be provided to and from the memorial.
Police, fire and rescue departments may participate by sending one apparatus per agency and assembling by 6:00 p.m. at the Morris County Public Safety Training Academy, 500 West Hanover Avenue.
The ceremony will also be livestreamed on Facebook at facebook.com/share/19AqWm3TEx.
