Cape Coral remembers
The public is invited to attend a Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony Thursday in Cape Coral.
Hosted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8463 Harney Point, the service will take place at noon and will last for about an hour. It will feature a handful of guest speakers, patriotic songs and more.
“It’s for 9/11. It’s for anyone that wants to come,” Joseph DiGregorio, the event organizer, said.
On Sept. 11, 2001, members of al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes to carry out suicide attacks. Two planes were flown into the World Trade Center towers in New York, a third plane hit the Pentagon and a fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Over 3,000 people were killed during the attacks.
A member of the VFW Post 8463, DiGregorio put together the first ceremony in 2002.
“I personally started this, and I have been doing it every year since,” he said.
A former New York firefighter, DiGregorio explained that he lost a nephew in the attacks.
“I have an interest in this,” he said.
Organizers are expecting close to 100 people to attend.
“We have quite a few people that come,” DiGregorio said.
Guest speakers for the service include Cape Police Chief Bart Connelly, Fire Chief Donald Cochran and former Mayor John Sullivan, as well as Ken Corr, a district commander with the VFW.
“We’re going to have a ceremony,” he said. “They’ll make their speeches.”
There will be a 21-gun salute and the ringing of the final alarm for those who died.
“For when someone passes on – for someone who dies in the line of duty,” DiGregorio said.
More than 400 police officers and firefighters were victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.
The ceremony will also feature the VFW Post 8463 Honor Guard, along with the singing of the national anthem and “Amazing Grace.” Snacks and refreshments will be available afterward.
“That’s all part of the program,” he said.
Organizers welcomed the general public to attend.
For more information on the service, contact the VFW Post 8463 at (239) 542-8463.