Nation Keeps Promise to Never Forget

From sea to shining sea, memorial ceremonies are taking place today to commemorate the terrorist attacks that happened eight years ago. Sept. 11 has become another day in the nation's history that we will never forget.

Simple services will be counted in the hundreds, like East Naples and North Naples Fire Rescue's 30-minute ceremony in Florida featuring the Pledge of Allegiance lead by elementary students, the National Anthem and a rendition of "Amazing Grace" played on bagpipes. And, of course, there will be the big ceremonies, like the one at the Pentagon with President Obama speaking.

Big, or small, singularly, or in groups, Americans will pause today and pay respects to the men and women responders who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Countless ceremonies will be hosted today across the country encompassing everything from motorcycle memorial rides, to somber services at each of the three sacred sites. Music and song, dove releases, peace camps, candles and prayers, spoken words and simple acts of kindness, like a free meal, will all be offered as heart-felt remembrances. All will be done to remember the 2,993 souls who perished on that fateful day, including more than 400 public servants in New York City.

In Meadville, Pa., members of the newly formed Meadville Patriot Action Committee will host a Memorial Day-style service in the community's Diamond Park. The Veterans of Foreign Wars will present Colors, a soloist will sing "God Bless America," a minister will give an invocation and three people will give patriotic speeches. It will be a simple hour-long ceremony.

Some 2,500 miles away, in Fresno, Calif., Mayor Ashley Swearengin will issue a proclamation recognizing local volunteers in a "Day of Service and Remembrance." The ceremony will include lowering of the flag to half-staff and a wreath procession with a motor escort.

In Sacramento, Calif., 343 firefighters from the region will climb 110 flights of stairs at the Renaissance Tower in downtown Sacramento. The climb, which will begin at 8 a.m., will serve as a memorial tribute to the 343 FDNY firefighters who died that day.

Firefighters in Anderson, Ind., are using the occasion to dedicate their county rescue house -- a building to be used for temporary housing for families displaced by fire. The members of Anderson Fire Station 4 have so far raised about $40,000 toward the project, selling pulled pork and hosting dances and selling donated items at auctions.

During the dedication, a ceremony will be conducted to honor police and firefighters who died in the attacks in New York City. Fire chiefs from around the county are expected to attend.

A very different sort of remembrance is being planned by a Pensacola, Fla., man. Danny Phillips has converted his Ford pickup truck into a rolling memorial to 343 responders who lost their lives in the attacks on the World Trade Center. Murals cover the vehicle from nose to tail gate, all depicting firefighting themes as well as the image of the towers at the height of the attack.

Phillips is planning to have his truck on display as FDNY's newest fire boat, christened 343, is launched today.

"The truck is a work in progress as I am continually adding to it," Phillips said. "It's actually a double tribute as the interior is all Pearl Harbor."

Even his official, state-issued license plates are part of the commemoration. They say "NEV 4GIT."

Another Florida man in Manatee County has decided to never forget by hosting an annual motorcycle ride on Sept. 11.

Two years ago Steve Bonanno, a life-long motorcycle buff, wanted to do something unique for the anniversary. So, he contacted about a dozen friends and asked them to join him and his wife, Lee Ann, for a memorial bike ride. More than 130 bikers showed up, and most he didn't even know.

Last year Bonanno, who moved to Florida two months before the attacks, was joined by more than 500 bikers. Today, he's expecting 1,000 to attend the third annual ride.

According to his website, www.911remembranceride.com, the registration for each person is $5 and the proceeds go to Manasota Operation Troop Support, a non-profit organization serving military troops deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait with ties to Manatee and Sarasota counties, veterans and their families.

Members of Richmond's (Va.) First Baptist Church decided that eight years after the Sept. 11 attacks, they wanted their local police fire and rescue personnel to know they were appreciated. Last night (Thursday, Sept. 10), the church hosted a Service of Honor and Remembrance service which included a private dinner for the community's responders. Last year, 20 personnel attended and 125 people attended the service immediately following the dinner.

"The whole service is to thank them," said Sherri Foster, community service liaison for the church.

Residents in Honolulu, Hawaii, marked the anniversary of the attacks with the 4th annual Mayor's Remembrance walk held on Labor Day weekend. About 150 people walked a mile from the police station to the fire station to mark the occasion.

A candlelight service, hosted by the Oakland County Sheriff's Department, is scheduled for tonight in Pontiac, Mich., at the state's 7-year-old Fallen Heroes monument. Visitors will see $150,000 of new lighting, landscaping and paver walks during the event.

A very different event is scheduled in Novato, Calif., as members of the Unity in Martin Church conduct a two-day peace symposium and a 40-minute tribute to the people killed during the attacks.

Hundreds are expected to attend the church's workshops designed to promote peace. Authors, political advocates, nonprofit officials and other experts will be the presenters. Friday's keynote address will be given by Fred Alan Wolf, a doctorate in theoretical physics and the author of "Taking the Quantum Leap."

Tomorrow, (Saturday) the church will have a Kids Kamp for Peace with tie-dying t-shirts, making of peace flags, music and writing.

Closer to where much of the action happened, Melville, N.Y., will be the scene of a dedication of a 20-ton slab of feldspar, hornblende and garnet stone. It was originally donated to be the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower.

It was donated by Innovative Stone, a Hauppauge, N.Y., rock company and it will now be displayed in front of the company. Today, the stone, made in 2004, will be rededicated.

On the top of it, are the words "to honor and to remember those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and as a tribute to the enduring spirit of freedom."

Garnet is New York State's gemstone and the cornerstone originated in the Barton Quarry in the Adirondack Mountains.

In New Orleans, the site of much heartache and tragedy of its own, the fire department, police department, EMS and the Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home will hold a memorial service starting at 7:40 a.m. The service will feature a release of a dozen white doves in a ceremony conducted by Pegasus White Doves, the local chapter of the National White Dove Release Society. Nationwide, over 4,300 doves will be released.

Army and Air Force ROTC cadets in Las Cruces, started writing all the names of the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks in chalk on the New Mexico State University's International Mall where a ceremony will also be held.

Las Vegas Fire & Rescue personnel will ring bells to commemorate the lives lost by firefighters in the line of duty. They will also fly a special United States flag that once flew over the World Trade Center. It will be hoisted to half-staff on the pole in front of Las Vegas Fire Station Five. Also on display in front of that station is a piece of steel from the WTC. New York City officials have requested the flag be flown over the steel each Sept. 11 since the city received the flag in 2004.

Prayer vigils are planned in Hazleton and at the Luzerne County Courthouse in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and local junior firefighters plan to wear their uniforms to school, as area folks remember the victims.

Remembrances are planned in so many towns and cities nationwide, they're too numerous to list as the nation expresses its sorrow, appreciation and resolve to never forget those who gave all.