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Tomorrow’s 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks brings services, remembrances and other activities throughout Greater Haverhill.
The Haverhill Firefighting Museum plans a memorial service, beginning at 9:30 a.m., near its 9/11 memorial, 75 Kenoza Ave., Haverhill. There will be a march of the Haverhill Fire Department, Haverhill Police Department and Trinity EMS Honor Guards; sounding of the last alarms at 9:39 and 10:28 a.m., and readings of the names of the 411 first responders lost that day.
Reading names are Capt. Richard Shellene, Lt. Michael DeAngelo and Lt. Matt Goudreault, all of the Haverhill Fire Department; Duncan Clark, Haverhill Bank; Leanne Petrou, Pentucket Bank; Win Damon, WHAV; Kirk Brigham, Trinity EMS; Kevin Comeau, Comeau Funeral Home; and Sgt. Nick Brown of the Haverhill Police Department.
The museum will be open until 4 p.m. for viewing of the 9/11 Exhibit “Through the Eyes of a First Responder,” a firsthand account of that day, as well as presentation of the documentary film by Chris Bowden from HC Media, called “9/11 Remembering.” Visitors may also try on turn out gear to imagine what it would have been like to wear that full gear and climb the stairs of the Twin Towers that day. Refreshments prepared by Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School will be available after the ceremony.
Both North Andover and Plaistow, N.H., invite residents to 9/11 ceremonies, at 9 a.m. North Andover’s remembrance takes place at Patriots Memorial Park while Plaistow’s is planned on the Town Green near the bandstand.
Methuen is having memorial ceremonies, beginning at 11 a.m., when the Methuen Fire Department conducts its Firefighter’s Memorial Ceremony at the Central Fire Station, 24 Lowell St. The service includes recognition of scholarship recipients, the Pat McKallagat Firefighter of the Year Award, donation acknowledgements and pinning ceremony for all new firefighters and all officers promoted in the past year and a half.
At noon, Methuen Mayor Neil Perry leads a 9/11 20th Anniversary Memorial Service at Patriots Bridge on Lowell Street.
Members of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Ad Hoc Committee. (WHAV News photograph.)
Although completed last year, Haverhill’s new Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Mill Brook Park, is being formally dedicated with ceremonies coinciding with the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Beginning at 6 p.m., solemn words are voiced by such speakers as Rep. Linda Dean Campbell, who served in the U.S. Army; state Sen. Diana DiZoglio, reciting “Where Have All of the Flowers Gone;” Mayor James J. Fiorentini and Ralph T. Basiliere, named for his uncle—a Marine Corps PFC and Haverhill’s first Vietnam casualty.
Linda Gambino Baxter, whose brother Michael Gambino was killed in action in Vietnam, will read the names of Haverhill’s 13 fallen.
A State Police Air Wing flyover is expected.
Musical selections will be performed by Neil Ferreira, including the National Anthem, “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “Halleluiah” and “Goodnight Saigon.” Haverhill City Council President Melinda E. Barrett, also a member of the memorial commission, serves as mistress of ceremonies, while Veterans Services Director Luis Santiago reads the Pledge of Allegiance and Rev. Kevin M. Young of Calvary Baptist Church gives the invocation.
UMass Lowell held a 9/11 remembrance ceremony Thursday morning at the campus’ memorial sculpture, “Unity,” which honors members of the UML community killed in the attacks including Douglas A. Gowell, class of ‘71, of Methuen; Robert J. Hayes, ‘86, of Amesbury; Brian K. Kinney, ‘95, of Lowell; John Ogonowski, ‘72, of Dracut; Patrick Quigley IV, at the time the husband of Patricia Quigley, ‘86, of Wellesley; Jessica Leigh Sachs, former student and daughter of alumni Stephen R. and Karen D. Sachs, both ‘69, of Billerica; and Christopher Zarba, ‘79, of Hopkinton.