Locals prepare to host events in honor of the 15th anniversary of 9/11
Tomorrow Americans remember the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that killed almost 3,000 people. Today, cities in the Coachella Valley are preparing to host several events commemorating the 15th anniversary of 9/11.
Tomorrow morning the Palm Springs Fire Department will host a 9/11 remembrance ceremony in honor of those who lost their lives 15 years ago. Palm Spring’s mayor, Robert Moon remembers that morning;
“I remember getting ready to go to work. I went to work and we all went home right afterward and sat at home and watched it…There’s three firemen and a policeman in my family, so it was very personal to me, especially when we found the 343 firefighters and 60 police officers died that day,” said Moon.
Many will observe those who died with a nationwide moment of silence at 5:46 tomorrow morning.
The ceremony will take place at the Palm Spring’s Fire Department’s 9/11 memorial, where a piece of the World Trade Center lives.
“I urge people who haven’t been here to come see this, especially at night, because at night the flag above it is lighted and the memorial is beautifully lighted and its just a moving sight to see,” said Moon.
The ceremony will be followed by a video remembering all 343 firefighters who lost their lives.
“We know if a crisis happened, these firemen and police officers would react the same way they did in New York,” said Moon.
Roland Cook is one of those firefighters who was deployed to New York City on that tragic morning.
“I was driving to work and I got a call from my ex-wife and she asked if I was going, and I asked, ‘going where?’ and she explained what was happening….I had a city vehicle..a K9 vehicle, and then my radio started going off, my pager started going off, then code three to the station and i got deployed from there,” remembered Cook.
Cook is the owner of “Roc’s Firehouse Grille” in Palm Desert, where he will be hosting an evening of remembrance tomorrow night, with first responders sharing stories about that September day.
“Nobody could even fathom something like that happening 15 years ago,” said Cook.
LIST OF 9/11 EVENTS TO BE HELD TOMORROW, SUNDAY SEPT. 11:
-La Quinta 9/11 Candlelight Vigil: 7:00 p.m. at Civic Center Park’s 9/11 Memorial
-CDMD’s Disaster Preparedness Workshop in light of 9/11: 1:00 p.m. at Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert
-Palm Spring’s 15th Anniversary 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony: 5:46 a.m. at Palm Springs Fire Department Headquarters, 300 N. El Cielo.
-Roc’s Firehouse Grille: Evening remembrance event at Roc’s Firehouse Grille in Palm Desert
