Lincoln County commemorated the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks with an outdoor ceremony on the Boothbay Commons Sunday. The event was attended by emergency services from across the Midcoast region.
With a tone both somber and resolved, the ceremony sought to remember those who died during the attacks and in the wars that followed.
Active Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy Kevin Dennison delivered the occasion’s keynote address. Dennison, who served with the 82nd Airborne in Iraq as a helicopter pilot, retired from the Army National Guard as a Chief Warrant Officer, Three.
Dennison used the events of 9/11 to remind people of the sacrifices that American service men and women have had to make while fighting overseas and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Dennison also spoke personally of his own service, saying that he carried the memory of 9/11 with him during his two deployments in Iraq.
Dennison said that he brought with him on his deployment a Bible with family photos and a newspaper clipping of a Navy ship with a banner that proudly displayed President George W. Bush’s post-9/11 vow, “We will not tire, we will not falter, we will not fail.”
“Nine-eleven will never, and should never, be another day in the hearts and minds of Americans,” Dennison said to a crowd of over 300 people.
Dennison added that 9/11 should be but one day out of many that Americans recall the sacrifices of service members.
“Sept. 11 is not the only day we should remember. Next time you see your nation’s flag should reflect on our professions and remember our brothers and sisters that are no longer with us,” he said.
After the recitation of the firefighter, emergency services, and law enforcement prayers, Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett and Somerville Fire Chief Mike Dostie recited the names of every Maine service member killed overseas.
Presque Isle firefighter Fred Parsons punctuated the ceremony with performances of popular patriotic country songs, “Have You Forgotten,” “God Bless the USA,” and “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning.”
At 1 p.m., Lincoln County Communications broadcast a special announcement across all channels in accordance with Senate Resolution 237 calling for a nationwide moment of observance.
The broadcast also asked those listening to pay tribute to the firefighters, police officers, communications and EMS workers who serve their communities on a daily basis.
As the broadcast ended, ladder trucks from the Wiscasset, Boothbay Harbor, and Damariscotta fire departments conducted an aerial ladder display to symbolize the fall of the World Center Towers and the rise of the 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero. As two ladders were lowered, to commemorate the collapse of the Towers, a third was raised to mark the site’s rebirth. The aerial display coincided with a reading of the Sept. 11 timeline by Wiscasset Fire Chief Robert Bickford.
Bristol Fire Chief Paul Leeman concluded the ceremony with a powerful invocation.
“Loss came into our lives in a shocking and tragic way,” Leeman said. “We can never be the same after that terrible day, yet we have survived… Therefore let us mark this day with prayers of remembrance, prayers of healing, prayers of thanksgiving, and prayers of guidance as we go forward in our lives.”