East Lake Fire Rescue Honor Guard to Participate in September 11 Ceremony

East Lake Fire Rescue's Honor Guard will play an important role at a September 11 Ceremony on Tuesday morning at . The Honor Guard will join Palm Harbor Fire Rescue's Honor Guard to present the colors, raise and lower flags to half staff and conduct the tolling of the bells.

The ceremony will take place at a newly-constructed September 11 Memorial located on the grounds of Curlew Hills Memory Gardens.

Late Monday afternoon, the finishing touches were put on the memorial. Crews hoisted a 200-pound rusty beam recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Center and attached it to two granite pillars located in the memorial that represent the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

The WTC beam is the focal point of the courtyard memorial. The beam and twin towers are surrounded by granite monuments bearing the names of those killed in the attacks. Other granite markers honor victims on the downed planes.

The WTC beam has been included in other Palm Harbor ceremonies including the  and a

The beam was brought to Palm Harbor through the efforts of Peg Alongi, a former teacher at . Alongi wrote a letter to the New York Port Authority  

Palm Harbor Fire Rescue Chief James Angle helped gather supporters for the memorial. It was constructed using donations from the community, including the location. Keenan Knopke, President of Curlew Hills Memory Gardens, made a space available for the memorial.  

Both men watched as crews attached the last piece of the memorial, making their vision a reality at last.

"It's almost breathtaking. The beauty of it. The stunning silence that it has. The gravity that is there. It is breathtakingly eerie," said Knopke.

"Hopefully it means it's a place for families, children and older adults to come, reflect and remember 9/11," he added.

"It's a wonderful monument for our community to have forever," said Angle.

The September 11 Memorial Ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Curlew Hills Memory Gardens which is located at 1750 Curlew Rd. (727) 789-2000.

To see the program for the ceremony, click on the "PDF" section of this article which is located alongside the photos.