Portsmouth Sept. 11 Memorial Service Planned

Fourteen years after the terror attacks on America, citizens of the greater Portsmouth area will have the opportunity to pause and remember the world-changing events of September 11, 2001.

On Friday, Sept. 11, 2015, police, fire, city hall employees, and residents will take time out of their workday to assemble and commemorate the terrorist attacks in New York City, and Washington, D.C., and the bravery of the passengers that went down with the plane in Shanksville, PA.

We honor the heroism of fire, police and ordinary citizens as they responded to the catastrophe and the loss of 3,000 people, according to a statement from Portsmouth Police.

A memorial service is planned outside police headquarters/Portsmouth city hall for the morning of September 11th to honor the memory of the fallen heroes and victims. The service will start at 8:46 a.m., the time the first plane hit the World Trade Center towers in New York.

Businesses, residents, and visitors are invited to join police and fire personnel at the 30-minute memorial. You are encouraged to bring a flower or bouquet of any type to lay at the foot of the display as a visible reminder of your attendance to honor their memory.

U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte will be in attendance this year as the department unveils the 9/11 Steel I-Beam artifact that was brought home to Portsmouth last Wednesday. Along with other partners, her office was of great assistance to the police department as it worked to secure this visible reminder of the attacks on our nation.

The commemoration ceremonies will honor the 2,507 civilians, 72 law enforcement officers, 343 firefighters, 10 emergency medical workers, and 55 military service personnel who lost their lives, or gave their lives saving others. The city of Portsmouth was directly impacted by the 9/11 attacks by the loss of American Airlines’ co-pilot Tom McGuinness, a Portsmouth resident, who was flying American Airlines flight #11, the first plane flown into the tower.

Everyone is welcome to take a few minutes, come by, acknowledge the loss to the country and the victim’s families ... and remember.