Danville To Host 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony

DANVILLE, CA - The San Ramon Valley will again come together to remember the 9/11 terrorist attacks with a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony, hosted by the Exchange Club of San Ramon Valley.

The ceremony will take place on Monday, Sept. 11 at Oak Hill Park. At 5:30 a procession of Scouts and American Heritage Girls will begin the ceremony with a procession of American flags. From 5:30 to 6:30, SRV Exchange Club President Tim White, and past Exchange Club President and current Danville Vice Mayor Karen Stepper will lead a ceremony remembering the firefighters, police, military and innocent civilians who lost their lives 22 years ago. Victims included John Patrick Hart, then 38, of Danville, and Thomas E. Burnett Jr., then 38, of San Ramon.

SRV Fire Protection District Chief Paige Meyer, Danville Police Department Chief Allan Shields, Danville Mayor Robert Storer, San Ramon Mayor Dave Hudson, and Contra Costa County Supervisor Candace Anderson will also give remarks.

“It’s really important that the ceremony goes on, because we told them that we would not forget,” Stepper told Patch in an interview. “People are always coming up to me and saying ‘Why are you having this ceremony? This was years ago.’ I say yes, it certainly was years ago, and if we don’t watch what’s happening, something similar will happen again.”

Stepper helped found the San Ramon Valley Exchange Club in 2005, a national organization that focuses on patriotism and child abuse prevention. In addition to hosting one of the region’s largest 9/11 remembrance ceremonies in the area, the club also hosts an annual Child Abuse Prevention Day. Since 2005, the 9/11 ceremony has focused on honoring first responders, and has featured a different keynote speaker each year from the region who helped respond to the 9/11 attacks in different ways.

This year, it will be Max Noel, a retired special agent for the FBI best known for his work catching the Unabomber. Noel will give the keynote address entitled "The 30th Anniversary of the Bombing of the World Trade Centers,” which will discuss the less-remembered 1993 bombings of the World Trade Centers. The bombings killed six and injured over 1000 people.

The ceremony will also feature a Fire and Police Honor Guard, a patriotic music tribute by the Monte Vista High School Choir, and a wreath ceremony to honor local Gold Star families.

An essay competition is open to students of all ages offering prizes of up to $500 for high schoolers, $300 for middle schoolers, and $100 for elementary schoolers. The essay question this year is, “Terrorists attacked the WTC before you were born. How do we thank our 1st responders in a meaningful way today for continuing to protect us from future attacks?”

Responses are due online via the SRV Exchange Club Facebook page by Sept. 29.

For more information, contact Karen Stepper at coachstepper@yahoo.com, or Phil Lindner at philiplindner27@gmail.com.