The third-annual Putnam County 9-11 Memorial Ceremony was held at 9 a.m., Sept. 11 at Veterans Wall of Honor Park in Eatonton.
The event was held in honor and remembrance of 2,977 people killed in terrorist attacks after four airliners were hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001, by 19 members of al-Qaeda, an Islamist extremist group.
Two of the aircraft were deliberately flown into the sides of the World Trade Center’s 110-story Twin Towers, where 2,753 people were killed, 184 people died when a third aircraft was flown into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C, and 40 people were killed when the fourth airliner crashed into a Pennsylvania field. All 19 terrorists also died in their attacks.
This year’s 9-11 event in Eatonton included a procession with Colors, four moments of silence (one for each airliner lost), and a memorial presentation and prayer before ending with the playing of “Taps.”
The 9-11 ceremony drew more memorial observers than the past two years put together. Led by Putnam County Clerk of Courts Trevor Addison, retired County Commission Chair Billy Webster, and Putnam County Republican Party Chairman Dale Bills, the event provided a somber remembrance of the day’s tragic events.
Other event participants included Putnam County Commission Chairman Bill Sharp, District 1 Commissioner Gary McElhenney, Putnam County Fire Chief Thomas McClain, Emergency Medical Services Director Brad Murphey, County Manager Paul Van Haute, plus other first responders, members of Eatonton’s VFW Post 6686, and several local citizens.