Sep 9, 2016 3 min read

Greene County will observe the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with multiple ceremonies across the county.

Mary Lewis of Carmichaels is organizing the annual event in Carmichaels square, which will start at 8:30 a.m. Sunday.

“This day can never be forgotten,” she said. “Our firemen do not get paid for their services, and they do a tremendous job. They give their life to serve their community, and all of the people who died up there that day gave their life for their country.”

Lewis’ 17-year-old granddaughter, Paige Armstrong, will sing the national anthem, and her 13-year-old granddaughter, Peyton Armstrong, and 8-year-old great-grandson, Gage Kundly, will release balloons.

She said Waynesburg and Cumberland Township police officer Margaret Vorum will read a poem called “Tears of a Cop,” and Carmichaels fire Chief Craig Baily will read a fireman’s poem.

Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, will be the special speaker, and Carmichaels American Legion Band will perform.

Lewis said she’s expecting several local first responders to be present for the ceremony.

Police and fire crews also are expected to be at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4793 in Waynesburg for a 5 p.m. memorial service, which will include a firing squad, taps and a free meal afterward that is open to the public.

Martin Wilson, junior vice commander of the post, said they have the ceremony dedication every year for Patriots Day.

“You never want to let your defenses down, and that’s what we did on 9/11,” Wilson said. “We weren’t prepared for it.”

The First Church of the Nazarene, 115 Deerfield Lane, Waynesburg, will have a musical tribute ceremony at 6 p.m., performed by Heaven Bound Ministries.

Jeannie Pierce-Waychoff, board member for the ministry group, said the event isn’t annual because they hold it only when Sept. 11 falls on a Sunday.

“We will be honoring our military personnel as well as our first responders,” she said. “We believe we must never, ever forget what happened on that day when we were attacked. Our nation changed that day, and we will never be the same.”

The music will be primarily patriotic, with a special appearance by a bagpiper who will perform “Amazing Grace,” Pierce-Waychoff said.

“We want people to be reminded not of the horror from that day, but about the resolve of the American people,” she said.

Other remembrance ceremonies will be held in churches across the county in conjunction with their regular Sunday services, including 11:15 a.m. at Rogersville United Methodist Church on Route 21 and 10:45 a.m. at Rolling Meadows Church of God in Waynesburg.