Ocoee Memorial Event to Mark the 20th Anniversary of 9/11

2,977 American flags will be planted in memory of each victim

OCOEE, Fla. – The City of Ocoee’s Citizens Advisory Council for the Police Department will host a Memorial Event to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of 9/11. The event will be held on Saturday, September 11 from 8:30 a.m. – 10 a.m. on the grounds of the city’s historic Withers Maguire House, 16 East Oakland Avenue. The public is invited to attend.

Former New York Fire Department firefighter Jimmy Brown will be the keynote speaker. Brown, who worked at Ten House, was one of the first responders to report to the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. The Winter Garden resident is also a former NYPD police officer. Ocoee Police Officer Duane Hunt will perform the National Anthem. The city’s Police and Fire Honor Guards will present the colors followed by a moment of silence to remember and honor the 2,977 lives lost on that tragic day two decades ago. Ocoee Police Department Chaplain Keith Tower will give the invocation. The city’s Deputy Fire Chief Tom Smothers and Police Chief Saima Plasencia will make remarks. A chronology of the events of 9/11 as they unfolded will be presented. The city’s 9/11 Memorial, which has a piece of a steel beam salvaged from one of the World Trade Center buildings, will be on display. The event will conclude with attendees placing 2,977 American flags on the lawn of the Withers Maguire House to honor each life lost on 9/11. The Camaraderie Foundation will provide the flags. The foundation’s mission is to give access to mental health counseling services, at no expense, to Post-9/11 veterans, service members and their families.

For more information, please contact Ocoee Police Sergeant Blake Prince at BPrince@Ocoee.org or call 407-905-3160.