OXFORD, AL — The City of Oxford will hold its annual 9/11 remembrance service Friday, Sept. 11, at Freedom Park on the grounds of the Oxford Civic Center.
The service, a tradition begun and continued by the Oxford Fire Department, will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed when hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., while another plane crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Among those killed were 343 members of the New York City Fire Department, representing the largest single-day loss of life for a U.S. emergency response agency.
Oxford Fire Chief Ben Stewart said the anniversary provides an opportunity to remember both the lives lost and the actions of those who responded while also educating younger generations about the significance of the attacks.
“I think the reasons are obvious why those of us in the fire service mark this day with such solemnity,” Stewart said. “However, we now have an entire generation who was not even born when 9/11 happened. This is a significant point in the timeline of our nation’s history. Just as we take the time to recall both the horrors and the heroics of that day, we must always ensure the next generations are educated as to its meaning and significance.”
The remembrance service is free and open to the public.
Photographs from last year’s event were provided by the City of Oxford.
