Ceremonies commemorating 9/11 anniversary in the Borderland
There are several ceremonies and traditions happening around the Borderland Tuesday to commemorate 17 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City.
Loretto Academy
Don’t try speaking to the students at Loretto Academy, as they have taken a vow of silence for the entire school day. Every year, the students join together before classes to say a prayer then vow to be silent. The tradition is to honor those who lost their voices during the attacks. At the end of the school day, the students will join together and breaking their silence with the school chant.
EPCC Ceremony
On El Paso Community College’s campus, a memorial honoring fallen patriots. The free event runs from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at EPCC’s Administrative Services Center Building A Auditorium, located at 9050 Viscount Blvd. Joining in the event, Sam Faraone, Senior Chaplain, El Paso Police Department;
Steve Edmonds, Deputy Director, Fort Bliss Emergency Services; Sergio Renteria, Captain, El Paso Fire Department; Alex Hernandez, Director, EPCC Human Resources Development.
Las Cruces and NMSU Patriot Day Ceremony
The City of Las Cruces and New Mexico State University will commemorate the 17-year anniversary of 9/11 with a Patriot Day Ceremony.
The event begins at 8:30 a.m. and is said to last up to 40 minutes. The ceremony is on the east end of The Horseshoe, in Horseshoe Park, near Hadley Hall on NMSU’s campus.
Free parking is available in lots one and two near the corner of University Ave. and Espina St., just north of Skeen Hall. Metered and handicap parking is available along North Horseshoe Street and South Horseshoe Street.
Attendees are encouraged to arrive early and bring lawn chairs for seating on the grass field.
The keynote speaker will be LCPD Chief Patrick Gallagher who is a New York native and was a captain with the New York City Police Department during the attacks on the World Trade Center.
Also joining in on the ceremony, the Las Cruces Police Department, the Las Cruces Fire Department, the NMSU Police Department, the NMSU Fire Department, NMSU’s Department of Military Science, NMSU’s Department of Aerospace Studies and NMSU’s Military and Veterans Programs.
Residents who live near NMSU, and those who will be on campus the morning of Sept. 11, should be aware that NMSU’s Army ROTC program, the Bataan Battalion, will fire six rounds from a cannon to observe the significant events that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001. The cannon will be fired at 6:46 a.m. to observe when Flight 11 struck the North Tower, at 7:03 a.m. when Flight 175 struck the South Tower, at 7:37 a.m. when Flight 77 struck the Pentagon, at 7:59 a.m. when the South Tower collapsed, at 8:03 a.m. when Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania and at 8:28 a.m. when the North Tower collapsed. The cannon will be fired from north end of Horseshoe Park.
Old Glory Flag Memorial 9/11 Ceremony
The public is invited to attend the 9/11 remembrance ceremony at the flag memorial in Northeast El Paso starting at 8 a.m. and ending at 10:30 a.m. The event will honor military forces, first responders and civilians that came to the aide of those in need during the attacks in New York City. The flag site is at 9550 Gateway North, U.S. 54 and Diana.
New Mexico Flags at Half-Staff
Gov. Susana Martinez has ordered flags flown statewide be flown at half-staff all day Tuesday in remembrance of the victims of Sept. 11.
